


They'll Never Love You Like I Can

by babyitsbeautiful



Series: Gendrya Song Fics [2]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Barkeep Gendry, Curator Arya, Eventual Smut, F/M, Festival, Fluff, Humor, Jealous Gendry, M/M, Meet-Cute, Modern AU, Mya is here too and has a kid, Pining, Pod's a Saint, Sam Smith's 'Like I Can', Slow Burn, Song fic, autumn setting, slight angst maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-12-01 18:57:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20867255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyitsbeautiful/pseuds/babyitsbeautiful
Summary: Inspired by Sam Smith's 'Like I Can'In which Arya casually dates to please her mother at the pub Gendry works at and he loathes every single one of them.





	1. He Could Be A Sinner, Or A Gentleman

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to @qwillow for the name of the pub, which turns out to be a real place that I have no affiliation to whatsoever.

Gendry balances himself as easily as he can on the rickety ladder, one hand holding the wall for support, the other holding the string of lights he’s trying and somewhat failing to hang from the ceiling above him.

He removes his support from the wall, needing both hands to hold the lights and the small nail gun as he feels the ladder shift slightly beneath him, creaking from the movement.

“Oi, watch it!” He yells at the bloke who bumped into the ladder as he passes by quickly, completely ignoring the warning in his quest to find the loo.

“Bloody drunks,” he mutters to himself and tries to focus on the task at hand, going back to hanging the lights up string by string with the nail gun. With the last nail in place he bends his body back to look at the job he finished when the ladder shakes and wobbles violently, purposefully this time as he reaches his hand out to use the wooden wall for support once more.

He looks down to see Thoros, his co-worker and manager of The Stag’s Head, grinning mischievously up at him.

“Hey, stop with that shit, I could break my neck if I fell from here. Then who would be around to pick your sorry ass up from the floor when you start a pissing contest with the customers later, huh?”

He begins his decent from atop the ladder when he hears Thoros grunt beside him, “You got a point there, mate.” Once Gendry’s feet are firmly on the ground, he gives him a friendly slap on the back for good measure and then a hefty punch to the gut before he walks away.

“Fucker,” Gendry manages to get out while grimacing in pain and laughing at the same time.

He joins Thoros behind the bar who has already busied himself to get ready for the coming rush, he knows they’re sure to have on the first day of October, ultimately the busiest month of the year for the little hole in the wall pub they like to call a second home, employees or not.

Gendry grabs the remaining glasses from the small sink, “Why’d we need to put up these stupid lights anyway?”

Thoros yanks the clean glass out of Gendry’s hands quickly, and with a force meaning to grab his attention, “Because, they give the room decent lighting and they look good, we need to liven the place up a bit for the season ahead.”

Gendry only scoffs in response prompting him to continue, “Besides, this is why Davos put _me_ in charge. You may be his kid in some strange dysfunctional way, but I’m the better businessman when it comes to keeping this place above water. And I bring in the pretty ladies.” 

Once again, he didn’t respond, because he couldn’t. He knew he was right, Thoros may be a raging semi-alcoholic and all-around womanizer, but he was damn good at running this bar and Gendry knew it. He hadn’t been disappointed when Davos gave Thoros the manager position over him, he knew it was the right thing to do and he was honestly relieved he didn’t have the added stress of starting his own metal shop making knives and weapons and whatever else he could and managing a bar simultaneously. He supposes Davos made the same assumption as well when he told him of his idea to start his own business here in Storm’s End, where he’d stay side by side with the people, he’s called family for over two decades.

Gendry was only six when the revelation of who his birth father really was, was revealed. Robert Baratheon was in the height of his political campaign, and was a sure in for the senate run, with Davos being his and his brother Stannis’ second in command. A scandal of Robert’s affairs with a woman that was not his wife would ruin any chance he had to be on top, so when Gendry’s mom passed away, Davos took it upon himself to take in the blued eyed boy and make him apart of his own family so he wouldn’t be put in the system. Davos was sure Robert was in no position to care for an illegitimate child at this point in his life.

By the time Gendry was ten, that decision was futile as more and more of the senator’s affairs came to light, revealing with it more children he fathered back in the day. Gendry being the naïve little boy he was, was thrilled to know who his real father was and begged Davos to let him take his surname, not realizing until later in his teens just how poor of a man Robert Baratheon really was. Now that in a way was disappointing, but he knew that no matter what he went through in life with his birth father or anyone else, his _real father_ was always there to pick up the pieces. But, of course, that didn’t stop him from attempting to have a relationship with his father and new-found siblings.

In his foggy mind of thinking about the past with both men, the glass he’s drying slips out of his hands and shatters on the floor behind the bar, causing patrons to look curiously his way and a loud laugh to erupt from Thoros beside him.

“Best clean that up mate, wouldn’t want the boss to find out and take it out of your paycheck.” He gives him a wink, causing Gendry to give him the finger in return.

“Fuck off mate.” Under normal circumstances, an employee would never talk to a superior in such a manner, but when has anyone in Gendry’s life including himself, ever been normal. Despite the large man’s teasing, Gendry and Thoros have been close for as long as he can remember, and even a rise in the ranks at the pub wouldn’t change their dynamic in any way.

He bends down to collect the large shards of glass before he makes his way to the utility closet to grab the broom and dustpan. The bar is mostly empty save for a couple getting cozy in the corner and a couple of frat boys playing darts on the opposite side of the room who he has no doubt will get more obnoxious as they get deeper in their cups; so he takes the free time of a customer free bar top to carefully clean up the mess he made. On the floor once more, sweeping up the remnants of the shattered glass, he realizes the bar above him is no longer empty as a soft voice comes in a wave of a cleared throat, and a shift of parting the chairs in front of them.

Bright blue meets dark grey as he looks up to find a pretty brunette smiling at him from behind the counter, “Am I interrupting something? I wanted a drink, but you clearly have your hands full. What happened? A floozy blonde get her revenge on a cheating boyfriend by throwing a drink in his face?”

She laughs and Gendry swears his heart stops at the sound of it. The woman in question smiles brightly at him, soft brown hair down in waves on the sides of her face. She’s wearing a completely sleeveless black halter top and shimmering light gray pants with a necklace hugging her collarbones that reads Arya across it in gold lettering. She holds her stance, her small frame strong and tan? Her skin is darker than you’d think it would be for the likes of Storm’s End where the concept of a sunny day is all but non- existent. Nevertheless, she looks, _good_, like a breath of fresh air in the stale atmosphere.

She sits down and waits for his answer which he realizes he has yet to give her amongst his staring, “Actually that was last week, poor bloke bought the other woman here, to _their_ spot. Revenge was had and she paid the tab for it willingly. Left with the biggest smile her face could manage.”

He picks up the dustpan full of the remaining glass and points to it using the small hand sized broom in his other hand, “This was all me.”

She laughs again as he realizes he’s standing there awkwardly, “Uh, let me just go dump this in the trash and I’ll get you that drink.”

She brushes off his obvious awkwardness, “Take your time, I’m just waiting for, uh, a friend.”

He nods, “Right.”

Gendry quickly makes his way through the kitchen to get rid of the broken glass properly and wash his hands thoroughly before making his way back out to the now semi-crowded bar once again.

The brunette is sitting idly on her phone when he approaches, drying his hands with a bar towel, “So, what’ll it be?”

She puts her phone down to give him her full attention, “A glass of Merlot and keep the bottle close by.”

He smiles slightly while grabbing the bottle on the shelf behind him and pouring a glass on the counter in front of her, “Bad day?”

She takes a sip and then sets the glass down with a heavy sigh, “Overbearing mother. Insists I settle down soon and find a, and I quote, a ‘suitable husband.’”

His eyebrows raise involuntarily at that, “Ah, I see.”

He sets the bottle on the bar top beside her, “Here, it’s all yours. Just don’t throw this one at any blokes, otherwise I’ll have to kick you out. For show of course since it’s expected of me, but in reality, I’m applauding you silently. No doubt the bastard deserved it.”

“Are you kidding me? No man is worth the waste of a good wine, _please_.” She rolls her eyes and tosses her hair back over her shoulder with attitude and a bright smile. 

Hands now empty, he leans against the bar, “If your heart is broken enough to consider inflicting maximum pain in a bar with limited options, then the quality of the weapon is irrelevant. Merlot, Jack, Jim, doesn’t matter, it’ll get the job done and you’ll feel better for it. And if the bottle doesn’t break, it’ll drown the pain on the inside long enough for you to meet the next bloke that’ll break your heart.”

She takes another sip and narrows her eyes at him, “I take it that either comes from personal experiences or you’ve seen a lot of shit go on in this pub over the years.”

He smiles but it doesn’t reach the wrinkles in his eyes, “Well I’ve never tried to throw a liquor bottle at a woman before, so…” He trails off waiting for her to assume on her own.

“So, the latter then?”

“Aye.”

Another sip, although more consumption than the others this time, “That’s comforting. Although you do look like the type to anger easily. How do I know that glass you were picking up fell by accident and wasn’t slammed to the ground in a fist of unrelenting fury?”

He leans subtly into the bar more, “Maybe the floor pissed me off.”

She smiles and it’s a beautiful sight, the best he’s seen all night, “Then I’d say the floor had it coming.”

Before he can respond, a tall blonde man approaches the bar and lays a gentle hand on the brunette’s shoulder, “Sorry I’m late, hope you weren’t waiting long. How about a booth in the corner?”

The blond looks at Gendry and then back down at the woman at the bar, “Sure. I’m just going to get another drink. I’ll meet you over there.”

He nods and then saunters off, leaving the two of them alone once more. Already filling her glass, Gendry slides it closer to her, slightly sad she’s leaving his company so early, “Enjoy your evening, _Arya_.”

She grabs her glass and then stares at him wide-doe-y eyed, “How’d you…”

He doesn’t move, save for his gaze that trails down to her necklace and then back up to her grey eyes. He watches as she too looks down at her neck and then laughs lightly, “Right. Thanks.”

He keeps his eyes on her back as she walks over to the blond man waiting for her in the corner booth and wishes that time would just slow the fuck down every once in a while.

***

The sudden influx of customers keeps him relatively busy for the next hour or so, as the friendly patrons attempt to make casual conversation with him while they drink whatever he has on tap, which is usually how the night goes. It’s not that he doesn’t particularly _like _talking to people, but he finds it much easier when they’ve had a little bit of liquid courage to lighten the conversation to something decently interesting.

He shakes the discussion on the game being played on the digital screen hanging from the wall behind him off as he sees Thoros return from the kitchen battling two large boxes in his hands. He hurries across the room to relieve him of one of the boxes he realizes is filled with cases of beer bottles they just received in their latest shipment that need to be stocked in the fridge under the bar.

Thoros and Gendry set both boxes on top of the bar away from the customers as Gendry assures him, he’ll get them properly stored away. Thoros mutters a faint thanks as he heads back into the kitchen to do gods only know what.

He begins emptying the first box into the fridge as a couple of ladies walk up to the bar, almost demanding his attention at once. Once Gendry’s back is turned, he rolls his eyes at their seemingly self-absorbed demeanor, but complies quickly all the same.

Once they leave, he breaks down the cardboard of the first box and begins unloading the second when someone sits down on a bar stool with an exasperated thump.

Standing back up from filling the remaining space in the fridge with bottles, he watches as Arya sets her elbows on the bar and holds her chin up with both hands, a small pout taunting the corners of her mouth.

He wants to smile at how cute she is, but refrains, “Are you contemplating which bottle he deserves to have thrown at his head?”

She huffs, a smile threatening to appear, “I wish. At least that would mean I felt something to warrant that kind of behavior.”

Gendry breaks down the second box, eyes scrunches in confusion, “I don’t follow. You don’t feel anything for your boyfriend?”

He hopes she doesn’t notice the way his voice breaks slightly at the word boyfriend and judging by the look on her face, she doesn’t.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s an old friend from school that my mother insisted I go out with.”

Gendry leans on the bar, much like the way he did when they first met earlier in the night, “So, what’s wrong with this one? Does he do that thing where he talks non-stop about the previous women he’s dated?”

Arya laughs causing him to smile, “No, nothing like that. He’s a perfect gentleman actually. He’s just so boring. I’m ready to fall asleep just listening to him talk.”

Gendry laughs at her confession, “Would you rather him be a dick? Most guys are normally sinners or gentleman, it’s rare to find both in one man.”

His statement, he supposes piques her interest as her eyes are now more attentive and focused solely on him, “Really? And what about you, are you both,…?”

She lets the end of her sentence hang, and he realizes he has yet to tell her his name.

“Gendry. And yes, I’d like to think so. In a good way of course, I’m no serial killer or anything like that.”

He refills her glass and she sips it eagerly, “And how are you both, in a good way I mean?”

She smiles smugly as if she’s waiting for him to refute his statement.

He doesn’t give her the satisfaction, merely wanting to keep her on her toes as if he’s having too much fun teasing her, “Well, I’m the kind of guy that’ll open the car door for you, but will also not hesitate in throwing you against a wall and wrapping my hands around your neck. In a good way, of course.”

He gives her a flirty wink for emphasis and she nearly chokes on her sip of wine and he knows his point was made, smiling triumphantly at her embarrassment.

He doesn’t miss the way her cheeks blush at his statement, but she brushes it off quickly, “Wow, dude. Too much information.”

He laughs and crosses his arms over his chest, “Hey, you asked. I just gave an honest answer.”

She looks as if she wants to continue their easy banter, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Thoros emerge from the kitchen and head their way, stopping just to Gendry’s right, taking a good long look at Arya sitting at the bar as he rests his arm on Gendry’s shoulder.

“Is this little shithead bothering you? Because I’ll toss him out on his arse, all you have to do is say the word, love.”

Gendry brushes him off, “She’s hiding from her date, apparently he’s a snooze fest.”

Thoros looks pained with honest sympathy for her predicament, “Oh I hate those boring fuckers, but I guess they’re better for business when they don’t go around breaking my shit all night.”

To further his point, loud cheers erupt throughout the room from the group of men yelling at the game on the telly, “For example…” He trails off, not needing to further explain himself.

Thoros looks back at Arya, confusion laced on his scruffy facial features, “If he’s so terribly boring, why’re you on a date with the man?”

She sighs in frustration, “Because it makes my mother happy. I told her I would start dating again, mostly to get her off my back and lessen the phone calls a week asking if I’m seeing anyone. She insisted Edric be the first one, she’s liked him ever since we were in high school and he asked my parents for permission to ask me to the prom.”

Gendry and Thoros glance at each other and then bust out laughing, causing Arya to jump slightly before joining in on their amusement, “It was a sweet gesture, sure, but way too uptight for my liking, I mean it’s just prom for fucks sake.”

As their laughter dies down, Thoros and Gendry return to helping other customers at the bar. Once everyone else is satisfied with their drinks, he pours a pint and slides it across to Arya along with a new set of darts from under the bar, “On the house, for your date, maybe it’ll liven him up a bit. Just don’t fall asleep while throwing these, I’d really hate to have to clean blood off the floor after my glass debacle earlier.”

She laughs while taking the drink and darts from him as she steps away from the bar, “I’m confident I could hit that bulls-eye even in my sleep, but I appreciate the suggestion of not causing bodily harm to your paying customers.”

For the second time that night, Gendry watches her walk away and he decides right then that this is the most interesting night he’s ever had while working at The Stag’s Head. 

***

Just as Gendry predicted, Thoros begins his pissing contest with some rowdy customers as Gendry tends to keep the place under control. They get more people to come in in October, than any other month of the year, forcing Gendry and the other staff to keep a close eye on everything that happens throughout the nights, mostly on the weekends, all the while playing babysitter to Thoros at the same time, although over the years, he’s learning to slowly handle himself better than he had in his pre-manager days.

Perhaps, Davos knew this and gave him the position in an attempt to calm his overly ambitious drinking habits.

He alternates between helping customers and watching Thoros carefully, making certain he doesn’t do anything stupid and yet he keeps finding his eyes on Arya across the room rather than on what he’s supposed to be concentrating on, his job.

Her legs are crossed under the table while her right hand remains comfortably in her lap and her left occupies the wine glass in front of her. She laughs softly occasionally, but it’s almost as if her mind is elsewhere when it should be on the man talking in front of her, but he supposes that’s a consequence of the dull conversation they’re sure to be having. Her date, Edric, is well into the pint he gave to Arya for him when they get up from the corner booth and make their way to the only dart board currently unoccupied.

It wasn’t his intention to be so forward with her earlier with his _gentleman_ comments, it’s just too easy to banter with her and he finds her quite intriguing to say the least, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Usually when he sees a woman in here or any bar for that matter, dressed in a sleeveless top such as the one Arya is wearing, it’s clear they’re fishing for male attention. But with Arya it’s different, her outfit is classy, not showy, and it’s clear in the way she wears it and presents herself that she dressed for herself and not for her date or anyone else, which in turn makes her very attractive in Gendry’s eyes, amongst her other qualities.

He watches as the blond man takes his shots, adequate at best, but not nearly as good as the shots Arya makes right after, nailing one in the bulls-eye and the other two just next to it.

He’s impressed, but what irritates him more than anything is the fact that her date is clearly not. He almost seems inferior, like his ego’s been hit, and he wants to pretend as if the whole game never even happened and he knows Arya has noticed it to by the way she rolls her eyes and shoulders slump in defeat and it’s right then and there that he knows, no matter how nice of a guy Edric is, his loathing of him will never waiver. 

He eyes her date make his way past the bar for the loo as Arya sits down in the same bar stool from earlier in the night.

“You weren’t kidding.” He says as he dries more clean glasses.

She looks up at him as if she hadn’t noticed he was talking specifically to her, eyebrows raised in wonder.

“The darts I mean, you’re good.”

“At least someone thinks so,” she mumbles softly, mostly to herself as she plays with her white painted fingernails.

She looks down and he doesn’t want to press about how bad her date is going, so he stays silent, letting her sit there contently.

He tries paying her no mind, but ultimately fails when she speaks up again, “He’s a bloody imbecile. He wants to act like a child because a woman beat him at something. What a joke. This is exactly why I stopped trying in the first place. Men are idiots.”

He tries and fails to stiffen the smile at her little monologue, “I suppose they’ll be no second date, then?”

She looks at him as if he really needed to ask such a dumb question, “Really?”

“Hey, don’t let one bad date get you down, don’t think we’re all that bad, yeah?”

She smiles then and it makes him happy to see her perk up at his encouragement, “Thanks.”

The blond man, Edric, finds Arya at the counter but makes no move to sit down next to her, “You ready to go?”

She nods in agreement and says, “I just left my bag in the booth.”

Edric moves away from the bar, “I’ll grab it and meet you outside.”

“Thanks.”

She turns back to Gendry behind the counter and gives him a small smile, “I’ll see you around Gendry.”

He mutters a faint ‘see you’ as he watches her walk out the front door of the pub, silently wishing she’d be back in again soon, even if she did happen to be on another date.


	2. He Could Be A Preacher, When Your Soul Is Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course, this is happening right now. Because he can’t meet a beautiful woman in any other capacity apparently.  
He smiles up at her and continues to pick the peanuts up off the floor, “The floor pissed me off again, figured it was a bit too early to be slinging bottles around. And peanuts are cheaper to replace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to point out a few things.  
So first, I've never read the books, therefore any characters or anything related to the books and not the show is merely done by wiki research and from what I've learned in other fanfics.  
Second, I write my fanfics with the intention of everything being completely my own, save for the few lines from the show or something I pick up from a movie that I always give credit for as seen with things in BD. So if something looks familiar, like hey they said this in that one movie, trust me, I haven't seen it. So no, it's not from that certain movie or tv show, unless I give specific credits in the notes. Just something I've been thinking about and thought I should explain.

Gendry thought that for a Tuesday morning, the start of the lunch hour to be exact, a pub such as The Stag’s Head would be a more happening place to be, at least from the stories he’s heard from Podrick about how busy the lunch rush during the work week is.

Or perhaps it’s just because he’s not used to being out and about during the daytime rather than his usual night shift, that he expected a livelier atmosphere. But then again, he did just work the night before and being awake at eleven am is something he is very much _not_ used to. If it hadn’t been for Podrick asking him to switch shifts today, telling him he’d owe him a night off when he needed it, Gendry would be sleeping soundly in the comfort of his own bed right now, midday sunlight be damned.

To say Gendry wasn’t a morning person would be an understatement, if it involves getting out of bed before noon, he’s not interested. But with Podrick being such a reliable co-worker and good mate, he couldn't exactly turn him down with the reason of ‘I want to sleep so you can fuck right off.’ No, he complied to Pod’s request with a smile and an agreement for another switch in shifts when the opportunity arrived for it, although with his track record of having anything that resembled a normal social or dating life, he knows that day is not anywhere within the near future.

Another plus to the shift change is the fact that Gendry is going to be working with his big sister Mya, something he always looks forward too, especially since he’s been so busy lately trying to get his metal shop business off the ground with a new website.

Between their opposite shifts at the pub, Gendry’s new business and Mya being a single mother, he feels as if they don’t get to spend as much time together as they once did. Both him and Mya were thrilled when they found out they were related; he had another sibling and a niece whom he adores to welcome into his makeshift family, and she had a younger brother to love and pick on mercilessly and an expanded support system for her daughter.

Supporting a large coffee in one hand and his cell phone and keys in the other, he manages to push the door to the pub open with little effort, and seeing the place is already stocked and prepared for the rush he assumes will be in later. Most places open for lunch at the eleven o’clock hour but he guesses people don’t get out of the office for a break until a little bit later.

Mya peeks her head out of the kitchen door and yells across the restaurant, “Hey shithead, come give me a hand, will ya?”

He shuts the door back behind him and laughs at the nickname both Thoros and Mya have taken it upon themselves to give him while walking toward the bar, setting his stuff down in its usual corner before making his way to the kitchen.

He opens the door to find Mya balancing what looks to be tiny pumpkins interlaced with red, orange and green leaves on the bottom in her hands and her arms, seemingly trying to gather as many as she can by herself without having to come back to the kitchen for the rest.

“Here, grab a few of these, they’re for the tables. Thoros’ idea. Aren’t they cute?” She holds one up by her face and scrunches her nose up for emphasis.

He sighs and then smiles at his big sister, blue meeting blue, the famous Baratheon trait, “Actually yeah they kinda are.”

She hands a few over to him, and between the two carrying them together, they get them all in one trip, walking back out to the pub, putting them one by one on each table already clad with a somewhat matching tablecloths for the season.

As they place the centerpieces on each table, Mya breaks the silence in the room, “So what’s been going on with you lately, feel like I haven’t seen you in ages? How’s the shop?”

Gendry stays focused on the task as he thinks about how he needs to find a way to bridge the gap their lives have seemed to build between the two siblings, “Same old really. The shop’s good, I’m almost ready to begin taking orders on the website, just needs a few minor adjustments first.”

She sets the last pumpkin down on the table in the far corner, “Well I’m not sure what I’ll buy yet, but I’ll be your first online paying customer, give you a chance to get word out on the internet that you’re ready for it’s business. And more reasons to use the forge you love so much.”

He smiles as he too sets his last pumpkin on a table, “Thanks, Mya. I really appreciate it.”

They busy themselves with the tasks it takes to run the pub smoothly for lunch when Gendry’s mind wanders to the reason he’s here during the day in the first place, “Did Podrick mention to you why he needed the day off? I mean he’s worked here awhile now and never asked me before, not that I’m complaining or anything…”

He trails off hoping Mya doesn’t realize that underneath his curious exterior, he is in fact complaining because he’d much rather be asleep right now, not that he’d ever say that aloud to anyone in a disrespectful manner regarding one of his closest friends.

He should have known better that to believe she’d never see right through his bullshit, “You’re a shit liar, Baratheon. But no, he never said anything to me about why. Maybe he had a date last night and knew he’d need the day to recuperate.” She adds with a wink, earning a bar towel thrown at her from Gendry.

They go about their work in content silence while a few customers come in, keeping Mya busy and him not, which is making it rather hard for Gendry to keep his eyes open, causing him to lean on the bar with both hands for support. He barely notices when Mya heads to the kitchen leaving him to take orders if anyone else happens to walk in before she gets back.

Propped up on the counter, he’s about ten seconds away from giving in for a quick nap when the sound of Mya reappearing from the kitchen jerks him awake, ultimately causing him to knock the bowl of peanuts on the bar onto the floor at his feet.

“Shit!” He curses himself for another mess as he scrambles to clean it up before anyone else walks in.

Too late. He hears the door chime open and he sinks himself lower to the ground in hopes they don’t see him. _Mya’s out there somewhere, she’ll take care of it,_ he thinks to himself as he throws the floored peanuts in the trash can under the bar. He’s not that lucky, however, as he feels as shadow creep over him followed by a small snicker of amusement.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this. I’d say maybe you were more fit to be a janitor than a bartender.”

He looks up to find Arya standing behind the bar, much the same way the first time he saw her just a few days ago.

Of course, this is happening right now. Because he can’t meet a beautiful woman in any other capacity apparently.

He smiles up at her and continues to pick the peanuts up off the floor, “The floor pissed me off again, figured it was a bit too early to be slinging bottles around. And peanuts are cheaper to replace.”

Once all the fallen peanuts are in the trash, Gendry stands and brings the empty bowl along with him, setting it down in front of Arya.

She says nothing, only looking around the room and then to the watch on her wrist. She’s different from the last time he saw her, her hair is halfway up tied neatly in the back of her head and she’s wearing blue jeans and a white blouse that has a large loose bow tie on the front. This side of her, relaxed, casual and carefree is almost more attractive to him than when she was dressed up the other night, and he can’t stop thinking about how pretty she is.

“Are you looking for someone?” He says casually leaning against the bar, trying to not be obvious with his lingering eyes.

She gives him a friendly smile, “I’m waiting for my lunch date. I guess I beat him here.”

Gendry folds his arms across his chest remembering what she told him the other night when she was last here, “Right. The reactive dating life to please your mother. Please tell me it’s not snooze fest again, I’m shit ass tired and I’ll definitely fall asleep if he walks in.”

She giggles softly and he’s happy his quip about her last date amuses her, “No it’s not him. Just someone I met at work recently.”

His joke may have been sincere, but it wasn’t entirely honest. Yes, he is hella tired and ready to fall asleep, but with her sitting here in front of him now, he’s more than wide awake and ready to begin his day if it means chatting with her for a little while.

“Do you want anything while you wait?”

She looks at her watch again and then back at him, “Just water. Thanks.”

He pours her a glass of tap water and then looks up to find Mya watching him curiously from across the room. Choosing to ignore her, he tries to find a way into a conversation with Arya.

“So, what is _work_? What do you do, Arya?” He asks while refilling the empty bowl on the bar with fresh peanuts.

“I’m a curator at the Westerosi History Museum. I basically run the entire place, but I spend most of my time there with the weapons we have on display. It’s more of a hobby really that I was fortune enough to make a career out of.”

His ears perk up at that, attention now firmly held. “That’s impressive and very interesting actually, I’d love to hear more…” His sentence trails off as the door chimes loudly and forcefully as someone is very eager to get inside.

He looks over to see Podrick walk in dressed a tad bit nicer than his normal t shirt and jeans.

“Pod? What the bloody hell are you doing here, I thought we were…” He’s cut off by the wave of Podrick’s hand.

“We did. Because I have a lunch date and I’m sorry I’m late.”

Arya looks at Podrick and then at Gendry and then back at Podrick as the boys do the same with the woman between them. Confusion floating strongly in the air, their sentences are rushed and simultaneous, none of them stopping to take a breath.

“Wait, I’m confused. You two obviously know each other but I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“You have a lunch date, here? With Arya?” Gendry looks at Pod, ignoring Arya’s comment.

“Yes?” Pod replies as more of a question than a statement.

“Why, mate? You work here.” Gendry looks amused, albeit utterly confused.

“What? You work here? Why didn’t you say anything when I suggested coming here for lunch?”

“I didn’t want to be rude.” Podrick smiles shyly at his date.

“You wanted to come here again? After the other night?” Gendry looks at Arya then, surprise clear in his face.

“Yes, I actually had a nice experience apart from the bad company of my date and wanted to try the food this time. And see what this place was like without the bloody drunks around.”

Arya looks at Pod and lays a hand softly on his arm, “We can go someplace else if you want, I’m sure this is the last place you want to be on your time off.”

Pod smiles at her charmingly, “It’s fine, Arya. Really. Gendry was nice enough to switch shifts with me today so that I could go out with you. And the food here is really quite good.”

She smiles at Gendry and then back at Pod, “Alright, if you say so.” He watches as Podrick leads Arya to a table near the door and pulls her chair out for her to sit down before sitting down himself.

_Always the _gentleman_, that one_, Gendry thinks to himself as he grabs a couple of menus and brings them over to their table, forcing himself to remain unbothered at the fact that Podrick asked him to switch shifts so he could go out with someone Gendry clearly has started to develop a crush on.

***

Mya and Gendry remain busy throughout the rush of the lunch crowd, and even though Podrick and Arya linger at their table well after they’ve finished eating, he tries to convince himself it’s nothing and that he’s perfectly fine with it as if it were that easy to brush off. 

He doesn’t even realize he’s been staring at them until Mya walks up beside him breaking his gaze, “I can’t tell what you’re more bothered by, the fact that the girl you like is on a date right in front of you, or the fact that she’s on a date with one of your best mates.”

Gendry scoffs, trying and most likely failing at showing indifference to the scene being played out before him, “I don’t care that they’re on a date, I care that they’re taking up a table that could be used for other customers so _you_ can get more tips before your shift is over.”

Mya laughs, not believing him for a second, “Keep telling yourself that pal.” She smacks him lightly on the back before heading back to the kitchen and Gendry has to force himself to occupy his mind with something other than the date happening right across from him.

After helping a few more customers, he watches as Podrick says goodbye to Arya before heading out the front door, leaving Arya to join him at the now empty bar.

Now that the lunch crowd has died down, Gendry busies himself with cleaning dishes as Arya sits in front of him, content to sitting in silence with her hands folded on the counter top.

“I feel bad, if had known this is where Podrick worked, I never would have suggested coming here.”

Gendry smiles, “Pod’s a saint, he’d never be blatant enough to tell a woman no. You know his grandfather was a preacher. Probably where he gets it from.”

Arya grins at the new information, “That explains a lot actually. He really is a good man. He’s such a good listener, I think I poured out every dark secret I had to him without even realizing it.”

He’s been wondering the same thing since the moment he realized they were here on a date together and because Gendry can’t keep his mouth shut, he asks the question that’s been plaguing his mind for two hours now as nonchalantly as he can while he dries the clean dishes, “So how’d you kids meet? Was it romantic like in the movies?”

Arya narrows her eyes at his question, “Are you this inquisitive about all the dates that come through here?”

Gendry laughs halfheartedly, hoping she doesn’t realize it has everything to do with _her_, “Just another part of the job, bartender, matchmaker, occasional therapist. You’d be surprised at how much influence bar keeps have on their customers lives outside of just pouring them a drink.”

She seems to accept his answer and he sighs internally as relief washes over him, “Well if you must know, we met on Sunday when his nephew’s class had a school field trip to the museum. His nephew loved me as their tour guide and told Podrick he thought I was pretty and that he should ask me out on a date.”

Gendry nods as he listens to her story, “So he did.”

A short pause, maybe he shouldn’t ask. But he does.

“And will there be a _second_ date?”

Arya doesn’t hesitate in her response and he realizes he’s holding his breath, “I don’t think so. We both realized there was no spark, and that we’d be better off as friends. So now I have _two_ friends that work at The Stag’s Head.”

Gendry hopes she doesn’t see him blush as he plays off her comment, “Thoros will be glad to hear it, he loves making new friends.”

Arya smiles and shakes her head, “You’re an idiot. Okay, _three_ new friends.”

They both laugh as Mya approaches the bar, “What’s this I hear about making new friends? Are you replacing me already?” She gives him a playful wink, before walking over to clean off a few tables.

Gendry laughs and shakes his head, not missing the confusion on Arya’s face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make your girlfriend jealous.”

Mya and Gendry both whip their heads around to where Arya is sitting and gasp loudly in unison, “Girlfriend?!”

Mya looks pointedly at the door and then at Arya who is staring back at her wide-eyed, “Get the fuck out.”

Gendry and Mya both laugh loudly then, “She’s kidding! Mya is not my girlfriend, she’s my _sister_.”

Arya joins in on their laughter, embarrassment at the assumption clear in the way she doesn’t know what to say, “I… uh, I’m sorry. I clearly misunderstood.”

Mya walks up to stand beside Arya, “It’s alright, love. This one has been single so long; I don’t even think he knows what the word girlfriend means anymore.”

Gendry throws the towel he’s using to dry glasses at his sister, “Thanks for that, I appreciate the love, My.”

Arya tries to hide the smile at her admission, but Gendry sees it clear as day, pleased that she’s obviously happy about his lack of female companionship.

Before he can continue their derailed conversation, they were talking about something he’s sure but with the way she smiles at him, he can’t remember what the topic was, her phone chimes with a new text message and she sighs reluctantly as she types out a quick reply.

He doesn’t want to be nosy, but he doesn’t want her to leave just yet either, “Bad news?”

“My brother wants to set me up with someone he knows if my date today didn’t work out. So, I guess, the quest to please my mother continues with the Arya Stark dating train.”

Gendry freezes at her admission of her full name, “Stark? As in the Starks that own like half of the north? One of the oldest and most famous families in Westeros? Those Starks?”

Arya smiles sheepishly, “Guilty.”

Gendry lets a low whistle, “Wow, you’re more worse off than I thought. No wonder your mother is so bad. Dating as a Stark surely can’t be easy. You probably never know who wants to date you for _you_ or your family.”

She sighs while absentmindedly playing with the rings on her fingers, “Exactly. I’m not truly expecting anything to come out of these dates, but if it keeps my mother happy, I’m willing to oblige for a little bit longer.”

She throws her phone back down after checking her messages one last time, “Anyway. I have a date with him Friday night. You’re working then right?”

For the second time in just a few minutes he’s almost stunned into silence by her, “You’re coming back here for another date?”

She looks at him as if his question was rhetorical, “Well yeah, I need my bartender slash matchmaker slash therapist to tell me what’s wrong with this one and reassure me that it’s not me that’s the problem, and if it is, you can just keep that to yourself there, mate.”

They both laugh and he feels as if a weight has been lifted from his chest at the fact that he’ll be seeing her again soon, despite the circumstances surrounding it.

“So, who’s the next contender for Arya Stark’s heart?” He doesn’t really want to hear about the bloke that’s sure to be all over her in a few days’ time, but if it means continuing the conversation, he’ll take what he can get.

“He’s a lawyer friend of my brother Robb’s, says they’re friendly rivals in the courtroom and that he’s single. He knows I’m out to please mum so he thinks he can help.”

Gendry throws the towel down and leans against the bar, “That’s nice of him I suppose, although a bit weird. Aren’t brothers supposed to scare away the boyfriends?”

Arya laughs and his heart rate increases in rhythm, “You’d think so. I don’t know what to think anymore. Maybe my entire family is tired of me being single.”

Gendry refills her glass of water on the bar, “Well maybe he’s the one. And then you won’t have to continue to go on useless dates anymore.” He really, really hopes that’s not the case.

Arya stares off and mumbles a quiet, “Yeah, maybe,” mind clearly somewhere else.

Gendry leaves her at the bar, lost in her own thoughts to run some orders to the waiting customers and when he gets back to her, her mood has seemed to have increased tenfold.

“You know I’ve lived in Storm’s End for almost a year now and have never been in here until the other night with Edric.”

Gendry feigns falling asleep standing up complete with snoring noises for good measure for a few seconds before pretending to wake up sleepily, “Sorry, I just fell asleep at the mere mention of his name.”

She laughs happily, “Shut up, stupid. He’s not _that_ bad.”

They laugh and hold each other’s gaze for a bit too long for comfort before they both seem to sober up at the tension, “I’ll see you Friday, then?”

“I’ll have the cheapest bottle of booze ready to be thrown.”

“If I don’t need to throw it, it should be on the house as a souvenir,” she smiles brightly and gives him a quick wave before heading out the door, leaving him alone with nothing but a smirking sister ready to give him grief about his growing crush on none other than Arya freaking Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for another chapter, boo to myself for ignoring Beautiful Dangerous for this one.  
That changes now though.


	3. He Could Be A Lawyer, On A Witness Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sets the bottle of vodka back in its place on the shelf and then leans on the bar with both arms, “I bet he shows up in a fancy suit.”  
Arya throws a peanut from the bowl next to her at him, “I bet you don’t even own a fancy suit.”  
Gendry holds her gaze as the peanut bounces off his chest and then onto the floor, “You’d win that bet, so bet big, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer than intended, and it's probably because I did Arya's POV for the first time and was debating on her coming off too strong. I realize I'm not the best at writing mutual pining bc I'm so impatient when it comes to these two dorks. 
> 
> I might switch between the pov in the future, probably in the same chapters, but Idk yet. 
> 
> As always a huge thank you to @whatmakesmebleed and @qwillow on Tumblr for helping with ideas when I reach a dead end. I love you guys!

Arya has almost her entire wardrobe strewn out across her bed trying to choose the perfect outfit for her date tonight. So much so, that she actually resorted to texting Sansa pictures of potentials for her opinion, which for Arya, is a rare thing to do. Normally, she’s super confident in her clothing choices, but tonight in particular, she’s more antsy than usual and she supposes it has something to do with a certain blue-eyed bartender, not that she’ll ever tell her sister that when she’s sure to ask what’s gotten her so worked up.

She looks at the dresses and tops laid across her bed when her phone rings loudly, breaking her out of her trance, nerves getting the best of her the longer she stares and over thinks the simple task.

She answers it quickly after only a ring and a half, “Did you get the pictures I sent you?”

Sansa sighs heavily on the other end of the line, “Well hello to you to. I got the pictures, but I don’t understand why you need my help? It’s just not like you since you’ve never had a problem dressing up before.”

Arya bites her bottom lip and thinks about the predicament she’s gotten herself in. She hadn’t expected to keep going back to The Stag’s Head for all her future dates, but it’s like she can’t stay away either. The atmosphere is so laid back and comfortable, and Gendry, only after two visits is someone she really likes talking to. Their banter is effortless, and he seems to have good insights on her dates and what she should be looking for in them. He wasn’t wrong about Ned, and Podrick is a close mate of his, so she feels like he wouldn’t steer her wrong in his unsolicited advice and as if his opinion on her company for the evening will really help her a lot on deciding if they’re worth a second date or not.

And he’s easy on the eyes, which doesn’t really help in the distraction he’s to bring her on the dates to come, but if she’s honest with herself she doesn’t really give a damn. These dates are to please her mother for the inevitable questions on her love life at the next family dinner, not actually give her a social or dating life beyond her job and spending time at the pub, regardless of if she has a date or not, which she hopes she gets the chance to do here very soon. 

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just overthinking everything from this whole dating thing. Mum doesn’t seem like she’s going to let it go anytime soon.”

Sansa ignores the comment about their mother, “Well where are you going tonight? That’ll help decide on the outfit.”

Arya pauses a moment and debates lying to her about the location of her date tonight, which in turn is pointless, so instead she hopes her sister doesn’t remember where she went on her date with Ned, “The Stag’s Head, that place on the cliffside over by the water.”

She holds her breath and waits for Sansa’s reply, “Isn’t that the same place you went with Ned not too long ago?”

Shit. Leave it to Sansa to remember _everything_ about Arya’s social life. She supposes she should find it endearing in a way, happy they’ve gotten this close over the past few years.

“Uh, yeah. Why does it matter? It’s a pretty chill place, I like it there.”

She tries to speak as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Sansa doesn’t see right through her casual response that was a little too forced for even herself to believe. 

“Hmm. If you say so, sis. I just might have to check this place out for myself one day since you speak so highly of it.”

“Maybe you should.” She hopes to all the Gods above that if her sister does find herself in said pub one day, it’s a day Gendry isn’t there. If Sansa runs into him while he’s working, she’ll figure out her motives without a second thought.

“What about your lunch date the other day, with the guy you met at work? How’d that one go?”

Arya holds the phone’s speaker away from her head and audibly sighs at the change of subject, “It went really well actually. Pod’s a great guy there just wasn’t a deep connection there, y’know. I think we’re better off as friends and he agreed.”

Arya laughs into the phone, “He actually seemed more like your type Sans. Maybe I should set the two of you up if you decide to stop pining after Theon one day.”

Arya can practically _hear_ the scowl on Sansa’s face through the phone, “I am not pining after anyone, Arya.”

She mocks her sister’s own words to her, “If you say so, sis.”

Sansa doesn’t let the jab affect her, “I’d go with the red and white one. The checkered one with the sequined straps and pockets. It’s classy but not over the top. You’ll look great.”

Arya smiles brightly despite her sister not being able to see it, “Thanks Sansa.”

“Text me after. Or you know, during, if you need the save.”

_I already have someone for that_, she thinks to herself, picturing deep blue eyes she wishes to be able to see later tonight.

“I will. Bye, Sans.”

She hangs up the phone and then bounces back on her bed on top of the piles of clothes, some of them landing in the floor at the shake of the mattress.

She takes her time in getting ready, wearing the outfit her sister suggested, pairing it with a pair of strappy black high heels and a black clutch.

Her hair is down in waves save for her short bangs that are pulled back in the middle of the top of her head in a subtle poof, at the expense of showing off more of her face and the makeup she took a little too long to perfect. With a last touch of pink blush and black mascara over her long lashes, she deems it well enough to do justice of highlighting her delicate features on her round face.

The short drive to the pub seems to take longer than usual, but maybe it’s just her anticipating the events of the evening. She really hopes she likes her date that Robb set up for her, she’d hate to ruin a perfectly good outfit for someone undeserving, but then again, he’s not the only one she’s dressed up for.

Once she pulls into the parking lot, she finds the place to be busier than the last time she was here on a weekend, noting she’s earlier than she should be in hopes of getting a drink to calm her nerves and possibly a conversation with Gendry before her date arrives.

According to the text she received from her brother earlier that day, she is supposed to wait for her date at the bar and he’ll be there to greet her at exactly 8pm.

So, if all goes to plan, it will give her about thirty minutes to chat with Gendry before her date arrives, assuming the place isn’t too crowded, and he stays busy the entire time. If that’s the case, maybe she’ll just have to find a way to stay _after_ her date is over. Or perhaps she’ll get both if she’s lucky enough.

She opens the door slowly, and the first thing she notices is that the bar itself is empty and most of the small tables are taken.

Perfect, _almost_.

Her heart drops at the sight of Thoros and his signature man bun behind the bar, alone. Gendry told her he would be working tonight, and she really hopes that still holds to be true as she makes her way to sit in her usual bar stool, her clutch landing on top with a quiet thud.

“Hey love, good to see you again, what can I get for you?” Thoros greets her with a happy smile.

“A cranberry vodka, please. Thanks.” She tries to mask her disappointment at not seeing Gendry anywhere around and any hint of it in her tone thankfully seems to fly right past the bearded manager.

The last thing she needs is him to ask her about her sudden sullen mood. She can’t exactly say, _I’d rather be waited on by the muscly blue-eyed hot bartender over you_, now can she.

He mixes her drink quickly, and absentmindedly, something the barkeep has probably mastered over the years. Less concentration, more muscle memory.

He slides it across the bar to her with a grin, “Here you go. If you need another, Gendry will take care of you. He’s just out back taking the trash out: I’ve got to go do the books from last night if I don’t want Davos to fire me as manager of this place.”

As if all the Gods are in her side this night, Thoros turns away from her then, missing the shit eating grin plastered across her face knowing Gendry _is_ working tonight after all. He’s not the type to lie that easily, she thinks, but anything could have come up that would force him to change shifts.

She eagerly sips her drink, relinquishing in the vodka warming her up and calming all the nerves in her body that seem to have gone on overdrive since hearing _his_ name. 

Her phone buzzes in the pocket of her outfit and she pulls it out to see a text from Robb asking if she’s met her date yet.

_He hasn’t made it here yet, I’m early. -A_

_Well let me know how it goes, mum is asking and I kinda went out on a limb for you, so be nice. -R_

_Relax, Robb. I’m not going to tell him the story of how you cried after you took the LSATS. Promise. -A_

_Very funny, Ar. Just don’t make _him_ cry, okay? -R_

_No promises. -A_

She laughs as she pockets her phone once more and takes another drink that’s luckily already doing its job in making her feel more relaxed, waiting for Gendry to come back inside is making her more anxious than she thought it would. 

She checks her phone again to see if she has any missed messages when he finally emerges from the kitchen, the phone in her hand all but forgot as she takes in the sight of him.

He looks,_ good_. He’s wearing dark jeans and a navy blue buttoned up collared shirt, soft grey material coming out of his sleeves just below the shoulder where a normal t shirt would cut off at. His eyes are as radiant as ever and he has a little more stubble on his face than when she last saw him. She sincerely hopes he can’t see the flush in her cheeks as she continues to smile at him as he makes his way over to the bar.

He greets her with a smirk as her heart rate picks up rhythm and she’s not sure if it’s from the intake of alcohol or his presence. She decides it’s a mixture of both.

“Hey stranger.”

She leans back on the stool occupying her nerves by fidgeting with her phone in her hands, “Hey yourself, I was starting to think maybe you lied to me about working tonight.”

“Oh, you know me, just fulfilling my daily janitorial duties.” He says with a smile.

Gendry steps back to look around the shelves underneath the bar and then pulls out a small bottle of scotch and sets it on the bar in front of her.

“If he leaves here without it smashed on the floor, it’s yours. As promised.”

She laughs loudly at him remembering their casual exchange of goods comment before she left her date with Podrick on Tuesday.

The bottle is small and a brand she’s never heard of, therefore she assumes, is very cheap and it probably didn’t come from their inventory, but Gendry himself. The thought makes her smile like an idiot, and luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice. 

He looks around and then back at her, “So who’s the poor sap that’s going to be losing at darts tonight?”

Arya relaxes into her seat, glad to have the easy banter with him she’s been craving as of late, “He’s not here yet, and I actually don’t know what he looks like, my brother just said he’d meet me right here at eight o’clock sharp. Lawyers are known to be punctual right?”

Gendry laughs as he mixes her another drink, “I think lawyers are known to be _a lot_ of things.”

He sets the bottle of vodka back in its place on the shelf and then leans on the bar with both arms, “I bet he shows up in a fancy suit.”

Arya throws a peanut from the bowl next to her at him, “I bet you don’t even _own_ a fancy suit.”

Gendry holds her gaze as the peanut bounces off his chest and then onto the floor, “You’d win that bet, so bet big, love.”

Thoros makes his way over to them then, grinning mischievously like he wants to weigh in on their conversation, “I’d listen to him.” He smacks Gendry on the shoulder and then turns his head to give him a good once over, “I think this is the nicest I’ve ever seen him actually, you got a hot date after your shift?”

Arya watches as Gendry blushes and then shrugs him away, “Now who’s being the shithead.”

They both laugh as Thoros walks away with a roll of his eyes and a muttering of profanities about being the boss and yet no one ever listens to him like they should.

Their laughter is interrupted by a shadow approaching just to Arya’s right. A blond man in a designer suit walks up slowly next to Arya and extends his hand for her to shake, “Arya Stark, right?”

She turns to see someone she actually recognizes, Jamie Lannister, famed attorney in the capital and brother-in-law to her father’s best friend. She’s going to kill Robb for not giving her a heads up on that little bit of pertinent information. 

She holds out her hand and they shake firmly, “You’re Jamie Lannister, right? Robb didn’t tell me who I was meeting, but I’ve heard of you through my father actually.”

Jamie drops the hand he was just using to shake Arya’s down onto the counter, leaning against it casually, “Yes, Ned Stark. Good man.”

Jamie then turns to Gendry and requests a scotch on the rocks, eyes narrowed as he stares at him a bit longer than necessary, “Hey, I know you too. Baratheon right, I think you’re my step nephew or something?”

Arya looks down at her drink like it’s been spiked because surly she didn’t hear that right, right?

“Excuse me? You’re a Baratheon, like as in Robert Baratheon, the senator and his brother in law?” She points to Jamie next to her, not really caring about her obvious shell-shocked expression.

Gendry rubs the back of his neck nervously, “Aye. I’ll get you that scotch mate, right away.”

As Gendry busies himself from the awkwardness of the situation, Jamie’s phone rings loudly in the quiet pub, “Mind if I take this, it’ll just take a minute?”

Arya waves her hand softly, not really caring about anything her date says after the revelation she just encountered, “Sure, no problem.”

Gendry returns the bar, Arya still being the only occupant as he sets the scotch down under a small napkin in front of her.

“Your full name is Gendry Baratheon? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Gendry looks at her curiously, “Because it’s not really relevant in a casual conversation. _How’s the weather today, oh by the way I’m the bastard son of a politician…_”

She laughs lightly, feeling almost ashamed of her question, “Right, sorry. It’s just that my dad and your dad are close friends, have been for years. It just surprised me is all, I mean I knew he fathered children other than the ones he has with Cersei, I just wasn’t expecting you to be one of them.”

Her tone and statement almost came out as if she were saying Gendry isn’t good enough to be the son of a well known and famous senator, and judging by the look on his face, that’s exactly how he took it.

Gendry folds his arms over his chest and scrunches his face, his tone turning darker and she realize she incidentally struck a nerve by dwelling and commenting on the sensitive topic, “And who did you expect me to be, Arya?”

She opens her mouth to defend her remark but doesn’t get the chance as Jamie returns from taking his phone call, “Thanks for the drink, mate.” He turns to Arya and holds out an arm for her to take, “Shall we?”

She links her arm with his and grabs her drink before strolling off, leaving Gendry and his scowl alone at the bar. She feels like an absolute idiot and she hopes she’ll get the chance soon to apologize to him properly with an explanation. 

***

After forty-five minutes of conversation that mostly consisted of Jamie talking about his work and Arya inserting her opinion when the topic allowed, Thoros came by their table while making his rounds to check on all the customers. They ordered food and Arya took the break in their date to head to the bar to get them another round of drinks, and another moment alone with the bartender.

He gives her what she feels is a forced smile after he’s done pouring drinks for the couple on the end of the bar, “Another round?”

She nods her head and he begins his task, eyes steering purposefully away from hers, “Can I add an apology to that order?”

He stops and meets her eyes then, surprised almost, so she continues, “About what I said earlier, I didn’t intend for it to come across like that, okay?”

He continues making their drinks and she takes a deep breath before she continues, his expression less stoic, giving her confidence to go on, “Look, I’ve known Robert Baratheon a long time, pretty much my entire life. He’s a drunk and a man whore to put it nicely. I guess people say he’s a good politician and businessman because that’s the only side of him they get to see. I’ve seen him shit faced at every function we ever attended with the Baratheon’s, and he’d flirt with the waitresses behind his wife’s back and then pass out somewhere later. I’m guessing you know all of this too, so believe me when I say you are nothing like him. When I said it surprised me, I meant because you’re better than him. A better man than he ever hoped to be, and I’ve only met you like three times now, so that should say a lot about his character.”

She laughs hoping to break the tension and when he sets the drinks down in front of her with a smug smirk, she knows her rant worked.

Gendry leans on the bar, “You done?”

Arya narrows her eyes at him, “Were you really upset with me or just trying to make me squirm and feel bad?”

He shrugs his shoulders with a smile, not answering her question, knowing by that it was the latter.

“Okay, change of plans, it’s not my date I’ll be throwing that bottle at later, stupid.” She throws another peanut for good measure, lightening the mood.

“Hey, I just wanted to let you get that little speech out of your system, I knew you didn’t mean what you said when I saw you looking over here every ten seconds with that sad look on your face.”

_Fuck, does he always watch me like that_, she thinks to herself suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Well it was either that, or you’re not having a nice time on your date. Which from what I can tell, I believe it’s both.”

She shrugs, feigning innocence at the lack of decent conversation, she’d much rather sit here and talk to him for the duration of the night, but that would look a little suspicious.

She grabs their drinks and heads back to a waiting Jamie, soon met by Thoros with their food.

They eat in content silence, apart from the occasional text or email Jamie must respond too, and at this point she’d just wish he’d find an excuse to end their date early, so she won’t have too.

She gets up from the table using needing to use the loo as an excuse, but instead she drops down at the empty bar where Gendry is slinging drinks for the waitress to take to tables.

“He’s married.” She says with a small pout.

His hands halt in the middle of pouring sweet and sour in a glass full of ice, “I’m sorry, what?!”

He looks pissed and it makes her smile at the thought of him being protective over her being on a date with a douche bag such as a married man cheating on his wife.

“With his work. He’s one of _those_, lawyers.”

He continues his task, “I’m glad you clarified. You weren’t the only one going to be throwing bottles at dickheads tonight.”

She smiles, “You calling yourself a dickhead?”

He keeps busy, corners of his lips pulling into the shadow of an amused smile, “I can be on occasion.”

“Good to know.”

They both laugh lightly as Jamie joins them at the bar, “I’m sorry, Arya, one of my clients got arrested, I have to meet them at the jail for booking.”

She waves him off, silently praising the date ending abruptly, “Of course, don’t worry about it.”

“I did have a lovely evening, goodnight, Arya.” He says nicely before giving her a kiss on the cheek, and she doesn’t miss the way Gendry’s lips form a hard line and his jaw clenches at the innocent gesture.

Jamie leaves without another word and Arya audibly sighs into her stool, “Well this night just got a hell of a lot better.”

Gendry’s shoulders relax at that and Arya wonders if Jamie works him up because of their familial connection or because of her date with him, “You’re relieved?”

She smiles softly and clearly buzzed from her drinks, “I am. I only went out with him as a favor to Robb. They’ll be no second date, that I am positive of.”

“He’s too old for you anyway, so it’s probably for the best.”

“He’s not _that_ old. And what is age anyway? It’s just a number.”

“I know that, it’s just, well…” He struggles to find the words, so he just scowls instead, “He’s just too old for you alright? There. That’s my bartender/therapist opinion for tonight’s date, alright?” 

She watches as Gendry tries to hide his smile, and she needs a change of subject as to not dwell on why he seems happy she’s not going out with Jamie again. I mean surly all of this is in her head, right? He’s a bartender who makes a living off tips and being an unconventional therapist to his customers.

_He’s just doing his job, don’t get ahead of yourself, it’s not about you and it’s not like _that, she thinks to herself.

“So, Mya? She’s Robert’s too?”

He sighs slightly at the change of topic, even if it’s about his shitty ass father, “Aye. She was never as keen on the idea as I was. I was just a naïve little kid who was glad to have a real last name you know. Knowing who it belonged to and where I came from. It wasn’t until I was a teenage that I got to see the _real_ Robert Baratheon.”

“He’s something else, isn’t he?”

He sighs leans against the shelf behind the bar, “That he is.”

Gendry grabs the bottle he saved for Arya from under the bar and slides it to her, “Promise not to throw it at me?”

She narrows her eyes, acting as if she really needs to ponder his request, “For now. Just don’t do anything to warrant it later. I make no promises for the future.”

He laughs as he heads to the kitchen, “Fair enough.”

With his absence, she pulls her phone out and updates Sansa on her date.

_Date’s over. He had an emergency with a client. Negative on a second one. Robb will have to break that news for me if it comes up. -A_

_Lol. Do you need a ride home or are you okay to drive? -S_

_Not at the moment, but I will be. I’m going to wait it out here for little longer. -A_

Arya holds her breath waiting for her sister’s reply, hoping she doesn’t speculate on her wanting to stay here longer than she really needs too.

_Okay. Call me if you need me. -S_

She sighs heavily and sinks back down onto the counter when Gendry emerges from the kitchen, “Another drink? Or should I cut you off before you go around here trying to find another date? Or do you already have another one set up?”

“No, no, and no. Just water for me, I still need to be able to drive myself home. I’m starting to learn the reasons for driving separately on a first date. If we rode together, and I ended up needing to throw that bottle, the ride home would be awkwardly painful.”

Gendry laughs lightly, “Well in all honesty, throwing a bottle of scotch at an attorney probably would have landed you in the back of a police car tonight. If it were anyone else, I could have gotten you out of it.”

Arya laughs loudly, mockingly, “That confident, are we?”

He doesn’t miss a beat and smiles brightly, “Yes. I’m very lovable.”

“Yes, because everyone just loves the tall and silent, brooding type. Your overall demeanor just screams, ‘_Hey come and talk to me_, _I won’t bite your head off_.’” She glares at him knowing he won’t miss her sarcasm and by the way his face falls into a wide smile, he doesn’t.

“And yet, I didn’t scare you off.” He rolls his eyes as he goes about pouring and mixing drinks for the tabs the waitress just brought to him, not at all fazed by Arya’s staring.

He catches her gaze with a smile, making her flustered, “I should get go…” She’s cut off by the sounds of screams and cheers coming from the large rounded booth on the back wall as they both turn their heads to the source of the noise.

Her and Gendry both find each other’s wondrous stare and they seek out, side by side, to see what all the commotion is about. She was about to leave, but another few minutes won’t hurt.

They walk over to find a group of people watching others battle it out in an intense game of quarters and she feels more sober than ever at how close Gendry is standing next to her watching the scene unfold.

They watch for a minute or two before Gendry realizes he needs to clear off the abandoned tables near by as he grabs a tray and starts collecting empty pint and shot glasses, Arya staying right by his side as he does so.

“You know I’ve never played quarters before.”

Gendry laughs as the throws the bar towel over his shoulder and balances the tray one hand, collecting dishes in the other, “Beginners are shit at it. It takes a few times to get the hang of it.”

Arya doesn’t believe him for a second and she’s willing to test that theory, if he takes the bait, “Really? Doesn’t seem too hard to me, and I’m good at everything I try.”

Gendry smiles and sets the tray on a high top next to them, “Alright, hotshot, here.”

He takes an empty shot glass and lays it on an empty table and then pulls a quarter out of his pants pocket, “Show me what you got.”

Arya smiles and takes the quarter from his hand, not missing the way her skin tingles when it comes into contact with his own, and pauses.

“Nah, I want something that proves you were wrong. Let’s make it interesting. If I make three in a row, because I am that confident in myself, you have to buy the first round of drinks for me and my next date.”

He stares at her a moment before he agrees, “You’re on, Stark.”

She straightens up to take the shot, putting all her concentration into the task. She lets it bounce off the table with ease, landing it in the shot glass with a ting.

Gendry smiles, “Not bad for a first timer. Beginner’s luck if you will. Now do that two more times.”

She lines it up once again and pushes her ass out subtly, seeing the way Gendry’s expression turns dark through the waves in her hair. She takes and makes both the next two shots, leaving Gendry with a grin on his face and completely speechless.

She spins on her heels to grab her clutch from the bar, leaving Gendry frozen in the same spot, eyes never leaving hers with a grin plastered on his stubbled face.

She heads for the door but makes a little spin on the way out, “You owe me drinks, Baratheon. Until next time.”

And then she’s out the door, relishing in the cool October air, not believing how much Gendry Baratheon has gotten under her skin in all the best ways possible in such a small amount of time.

As she relaxes in her car, she realizes she forgot the scotch Gendry gifted to her, but now she has a reason to come back, _without_ a date. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter count my change since I'm struggling with the story line beyond chapter 6 which I am super excited for. ♥


	4. He Could Be A Stranger, You Gave A Second Glance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya scowls at her sister before turning to Gendry and then sighing heavily, “She’s spying on me, isn’t she?”  
Gendry holds both hands up in innocence while laughing, “I’m not in this. I’m just serving drinks like a good employee of this fine establishment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter and by far the most difficult to write. So uh, be nice? Like I'm still iffy about it, but oh well. 
> 
> Phil's character comes from a certain hatred of an employee at a certain magazine who won't let me buy a copy of Joe Dempsie's issue. 
> 
> As always thanks to my loves @whatmakesmebleed and @qwillow for their input. ♥

She didn’t think twice about her decision when she agreed to go on a date on a random weekday night. Sure, it wasn’t standard, most first dates take place on the weekend, but the man she met at the supermarket said he worked weekends so a weeknight would fit better into his schedule, therefore she agreed to a date on a Wednesday night with a random stranger she met just two nights before. The fact that she’d get to see Gendry again so soon after her last date did not factor into her decision at all. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself.

On the bright side of her new dating life, at least one of her weekly calls with her mother had gone extremely well, which means her plan of serial dating is ultimately working of keeping her mother’s incessant complaints about how she’ll never settle down to a bare minimum, if they haven’t disappeared all together for the time being. Usually when she starts ranting about Arya’s non-existent love life like she does every time they speak on the phone together, no matter the source of the call in the first place, she puts the phone on mute and goes back to watching whatever random show is playing on Netflix until she feels the rant is over and the subject is on the verge of changing into something Arya actually _wants_ to talk to her mother about.

She said she’d meet, _Phil_ she thinks it was, at 7pm at The Stag’s Head and like her other dates, she gets there a little bit early. As she walks in at approximately 6:30pm and sees Podrick instead of Gendry behind the bar, she wishes she hadn’t followed through on her plan to get there earlier than her schedule date after all.

Arya hasn’t seen Podrick since their date and if she’d thought it be awkward, she thought wrong. The atmosphere between the two friends is as friendly and natural as ever.

“Hey Pod, it’s good to see you.”

Podrick looks up from where he’s cleaning the bar and gives her a happy smile, “Arya, you look as lovely tonight.”

“Thank you. I have a date, but I’m a little early. And since I have work tomorrow, I won’t be drinking so just giving me something fancy without alcohol.”

He smiles at her as he throws the towel down on the counter behind the bar and washes his hands, “You got it love.”

She plays with her phone in her hands and refrains from sounding too desperate in her next question to the bartender, “So, is Gendry working tonight?”

She doesn’t look up when she says it, afraid of what her face will give away under her façade.

He doesn’t look at her when he responds either, much to Arya’s pleasure, “Not tonight. He’s actually been on days this week helping Davos out with quarterly taxes and inventory. So, Davos switched up the schedule a bit and I’ve been on nights while he’s been on days. He’ll be back on nights by Friday though.”

While she’s disappointed, he won’t be here for her date tonight, it quickly fades knowing he’ll be back for the rest of them and the switch change isn’t a permanent affair.

She doesn’t let her mind dwell on Gendry, especially in front of one of his closest mates, so she turns the subject around on him rather than on his blue-eyed friend, “I bet that’s been fun for you. A little change of pace…”

She trails off the statement in hopes he’ll speak up on it, “It has been yeah, except for my bloody sleep schedule. That’s been fucked for sure.”

They both laugh and she realizes it’s inching closer to seven than she realized, and her date still has yet to show. It’s not like she can text him though, they didn’t exchange phone numbers when they agreed to meet for dinner, so she’ll just have to wait it out until he arrives.

She wasn’t exactly looking to make another date so soon, but after he practically ran her over with his cart in the supermarket, he apologized and said he could make it up to her with dinner. He seemed sweet and was very cute, so she agreed and told him to meet her at The Stag’s Head. She wasn’t about to be roped into a date somewhere her favorite bartender wasn’t. But now she supposes that’s exactly what’s happening after all.

After a drink and a half of a fruity concoction Podrick made for her, it’s reaching nearly 7:45 and she finally gives in to the notion she’d been stood up by Phil, a first for her. Fuck Phil. She doesn’t need guys like that anyway.

She gets up to leave and pulls her wallet out of her bag, although she’s stopped by Podrick who has noticed she’s been ghosted, “It’s on the house. Sorry about your date, Ar.”

She throws her bag over her shoulder and gives him a sad smile, “It’s okay, thanks Pod.”

As she heads for the door, her phone chimes with Sansa’s ringtone in her coat pocket, but she waits until she’s inside her car before she answers and puts it on speaker.

“Hey Sans.”

“I just wanted to see how the date was going and possibly give you an out if you needed one, you know, like the good sister I am.”

Arya laughs, “While I appreciate the gesture of saving me, it wasn’t needed. I got stood up by _Phil_.”

Sansa gasps from the other end of the phone, “Uh, what a dickhead, fuck Phil. You can do better than that Arya. In fact, I have just the guy for you.”

Arya sighs and leans her head back into the driver’s seat, “Fine Sansa, who’d you have in mind.”

“Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when you came with me to Margaery’s birthday party?”

“You mean the huge ass party where I knew like three of the hundreds of people that were there, I remember.”

She can practically hear the smile on Sansa’s face, “And do you remember the guy you kept checking out all night but pretended you weren’t?”

Arya remembers exactly who Sansa is referring too. He was tall with curly dirty blonde hair and had a gorgeous smile, “I wasn’t checking him out Sansa, he just happened to be in my area of view all night.”

“Uh-huh, anyway that happened to be Marg’s brother Loras Tyrell and he’s single.”

Arya sighs, of course that’s who he is, she stays quiet, hoping Sansa will just get to the point.

“Let me set you guys up on a date for this weekend? Please Arya, you’ll be so cute together, I’ll even have him meet you at that stupid pub you keep going back too for only the Gods knows why...”

Well if Sansa insists on _that_, then she is really in no position to argue.

“Fine Sansa, how about Friday night?”

Sansa screams through the phone in excitement, much to Arya’s dismay, “Great! Oh, you’re going to have such a good time, Arya.”

After they say goodnight and Arya ends the call, she throws her phone into the passenger’s seat before starting the engine. She has a strange feeling this date is going to be interesting in more ways than one thanks to her sister’s match making skills, or maybe just because of her growing crush on a certain barkeep. She knows the latter takes the win. 

At least this way she can cash in on the round of drinks Gendry owes her from their bet the last time she saw him.

***

Gendry stumbles into the pub late Friday afternoon and prays to all the Gods above that he’ll have an easy shift for his first night back from being on days all week. While he’s happy to help out Davos, this week has been shit for his sleep schedule and he’s happy to be getting back to his old routine of being a night owl rather than an early bird, which he is definitely not accustomed to, nor does he want to be. 

He makes no effort to remove his sunglasses once he’s inside, trying and failing to hide the dark circles under his eyes from how tired he’s been the past week and he certainly doesn’t miss the way Mya and Podrick give him a pitiful stare as he makes his way through the pub and back into the kitchen, the pair trailing closely behind.

“You look like shit, bro.” Mya says as Gendry heads straight for the employee only coffee pot, grabbing the largest cup he can find in the process.

“Thanks, Mya. That’s just the boost I need to get through the night.” He gives her a sarcastic glare as he pours his coffee.

Podrick gives him a soft smile, “Well this might help. I saw Arya in here earlier this week, and she asked about you.”

He hides the hint of a smile under his cup as he tries to muster as much indifference across his face as he can manage, “How does that help me?”

He remains complacent behind serious eyes as Mya and Pod exchange quiet knowing glances with the other. Podrick smiles sheepishly at Gendry, “Mya told me about your crush.”

If looks could kill, his sister would be in flames right about now, probably just as hot as the burning redness in his cheeks.

“Mya likes to over exaggerate; I don’t have a crush. Arya and I are friends and I give her advice on the blokes she calls dates.”

He rolls his eyes for emphasis at the use of the word date, if you can even call them that as Mya snickers beside Podrick who seems to take what Gendry says as nothing but the truth, “I didn’t see her long while she was here, her date stood her up.”

Now that has him conflicted. On one hand, he’s relieved that date obviously didn’t work out, but on the other hand he’s pissed that someone would hurt her like that. _Who the fuck would stand up Arya Stark?_ He thinks to himself while he continues to sip his now lukewarm coffee.

“She didn’t seem to distraught over it though from what I could tell, so I suppose that’s good.” Podrick says nonchalantly as he makes his way back out to the bar to get ready for the shift change with Gendry.

He sighs from his chair in the kitchen while he rakes his hands through his messy hair and wonders just when he’ll get the chance to see Arya again, never mind the fact she’ll probably be on a date when he does.

His sister breaks him out of his thoughts, “So you’re still coming to the festival with us, right?”

Gendry stands up and dumps the remnants of his coffee down the drain before he rinses the cup out, “Yeah, no doubt. It’ll be fun.”

She gives him a happy smile and a quick hug before grabbing her bag and heading out the door, leaving her little brother alone with his thoughts of a short grey-eyed girl.

***

He’s wiping down the bar vigorously from where a clumsy pair of blokes spilled a full pitcher of ale across it while talking animatedly about something, he didn’t even care enough about to listen to nor chime in on until the idiots spilled beer all over his counter.

They apologized sure, but that didn’t stop him from getting slighted heated at the annoyance and inconvenience before telling them to go find a table towards the back. He needs to not let little minor things affect him until he’s fully woken up and out of his crankiness for the evening. Lack of sleep does not sit well with Gendry’s ability to be nice to people.

After cleaning and drying the top of the bar, he moves around to clean up what had dripped over the side where the few bar stools sit, and where the customers frequently walk past. The last thing he needs is someone slipping accidentally and then suing Davos for all he’s worth.

Gendry stands after inspecting the floor on the patron’s side of the bar when he feels a figure come running up behind him, nearly knocking him over.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you…”

He turns around to be face to face with Arya, gripping her phone in one hand, and holding her bag on her shoulder with the other. She’s wearing a red pantsuit with a white tank underneath and her hair is pulled back on her head, waves of brown falling down a little disheveled. But what surprises him the most about her appearance other than the fact she’s a little flustered from being in an obvious rush to get inside, is the fact she’s wearing glasses. Big thick rimmed ones and what’s even more surprising is how much he likes the look on her. Like a lot.

“Where’s the fire?” He shakes lingering thoughts away just as quickly as they entered his mind.

“Oh, it’s just you.” She smiles before walking past him to sit in her usual spot she’s taken upon herself to claim as her own while she’s taken up residence for the night.

“Well hello to you too. Seriously though, why were you almost running?”

He throws the bar towel down and leans against the counter, attention focused solely on her, “I’m late!”

“Late for what? It’s 7:02?”

She rubs the back of her neck before removing her glasses and putting them away in her bag, “I have a date at 7.”

He laughs at her disregard for letting herself be a minute late, “You’re two minutes late, I don’t think the world is going to end, Arya.”

He watches her expression carefully, noticing a sliver of apprehension pass before she collects herself, “I know, I just like to be on time alright?” She looks around and then back at him, “But it seems he’s late too, so there’s that.”

“I had to come straight from work, I didn’t even have time to change since we’re putting in extra hours now that we’re starting an expansion on the lower level of the museum. We weren’t supposed to start until the beginning of next month, but the owner wanted to start on the project early.” She rolls her eyes and sighs audibly, causing Gendry to form a hint of a smile at how cute she is when she’s flustered.

“Sounds like you could use a drink then, what’re you having? First _two_ rounds are on me. The first because I owe it to you, and the second because Pod told me about you getting stood up.”

“Wine, please. You know the one. And thanks. _Phil_ didn’t feel like showing up, but it’s all good. I went home and had ice cream and then listened to Sia for two hours remembering how much of a badass I am and that I don’t need stupid men who stand up beautiful girls on dates.”

Gendry slides the glass of Merlot across the bar for her to take, completely blown away by the amount of confidence she has radiating off her right now.

She takes a sip before she continues, “Besides, honestly I wasn’t that sad about it, but it was the first time something like that’s ever happened to me, so I took it harder than I probably should have.”

Gendry isn’t about to sit here and let her confidence waiver, she’s perfect is so many ways and she should know that from someone who thinks so, “Fuck Phil, you definitely don’t deserve that. And he’s a bloody idiot for standing you up. You deserve someone like…”

_Me_.

Just as he’s about to tell her the kind of man she deserves, someone that would treat her like a fucking queen, he sees some pretty blonde walk in with a bouquet of flowers and the words die in his throat.

She keeps his gaze even after it wanders behind her, “Like who?”

“Arya?”

She turns in her stool to be met by Loras Tyrell and the most gorgeous flowers she’s ever seen, “I’m so sorry I’m late. I couldn’t decide on what to get until finally the sales lady helped me out after seeing me panic a little knowing I was going to be late meeting you.”

Arya takes them shyly, “You’re too sweet. They’re beautiful, thank you.”

Loras gives her a bright smile, “Excuse me for a minute.”

Arya whispers, “Sure,” before he walks off and leaves them alone once more.

Gendry bites his tongue, there’s no way he can compete with that, so he feigns happiness for her date starting off exceedingly well, “Here let me put those in some water for you until you leave later.”

Arya hands him the bouquet slightly skeptical, “You sure? I don’t want it to be any trouble.”

Gendry takes the flowers and heads for the kitchen, “It’s alright Arya, just don’t forget about them when you leave.”

He really, really wishes neither of them forget to send Arya home with them later, as he does not want a constant reminder for the rest of the night of the romantic gesture this bloke did to woo the likes of his crush.

Once he gets back to the bar, Arya and Loras have already made their way to a table, her date opting to not drink at the moment, which is weird, but he decides not to press it and makes himself scarce so he’s not staring in their direction all night long.

***

Two hours later and Gendry’s attention has been all over the place. Between getting two orders wrong and a few, no, several glances at Arya, he did exactly what he told himself he wouldn’t do, he keeps his eyes on their date like a creep. 

But all in all, it has been a productive two hours for he’s realized a little more about Arya’s date he has a feeling she herself is not privy to.

He came to his conclusion only after talking to Loras himself when Arya walked outside to take a frantic phone call from her boss, he assumes about her big project at work. 

They’re deep in a lively conversation about something and he can’t help but to notice Arya finding the man across from her very funny.

But probably not as funny as he finds the woman sitting at the end of his bar in the very last spot nearest to behind him wearing a black turtleneck, a large black hat and sunglasses, _inside_, at _night_.

He slams a hand down hard on the bar in front of her loud enough to make her jump, but not loud enough to cause unwanted attention to them. Something the red head would be thankful for it seems.

He laughs when she almost jumps out of her seat and lays a hand across her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart, “Fucking hell. What did you…”?

Her words die in her throat as soon as she looks at him for the first time, her hand resting on her sunglasses enough for them to peak down so she can take a proper look at him under the shades. Blue meets blue in utter confusion as she gives him a knowing smirk, “So that’s why she likes coming here.”

Gendry’s brows raise in confusion and slight amusement at the woman’s curious demeanor, “Who are we talking about?”

She quickly goes back to disguising herself, “Shh, never mind. Keep your voice down.”

“You get a free beer if you tell me who you’re spying on and why?” Gendry leans down so he’s more on her level.

She looks back at him and he sees a smile play at her lips, “Uh, my friend is on a date here, I’m just checking things out.”

Gendry leans back up off the bar and shakes his head, “No, no free drink for you cause that’s just fucking creepy. Let them have their date in peace.”

The red head shushes him again, “It’s not creepy; I set them up. I just want to make sure it goes okay.”

His eyes find the back of the bar where hers are fixated on, but surely, she’s not watching Arya’s date, right?

It’s then Arya gets up and heads for the loo and the red headed woman panics subtly.

“Shit!” She half whispers half yells to no one as she ducks her entire body underneath the bar.

Yes, she is definitely spying on Arya and her date.

Gendry crouches down to her level and speaks to her as if he’s coddling a child, “Okay, sweetie. If you sit up now and don’t get me in trouble for being back here, I’ll get you that free drink I promised, alright?”

She peeks her head out to get a good look at the table she’s been staring at, “Oh, enough of that. I’m not a child.”

He leans in and rests his elbows on his knees, “Are you sure? Because you’re spying on your sister’s date like a thirteen-year-old that snuck into a scary movie for the first time and is trying not to get caught.”

She pulls her sunglasses down then and her blue eyes widen, “How do you know I’m spying on my _sister_? Now who’s the creep?” She says matter-of-factly before resuming her stance in her stool at the end of the bar.

Gendry opens a bottle of beer he promised her and slides it across the counter-top, “Because you’ve been staring in Arya’s direction since you sat down.”

Sansa removes her sunglasses for good this time but pulls her hat down a little more to keep from revealing her shiny auburn hair which has always been her dead giveaway to her presence.

“Shoulda known you two would be friends by now. I was wondering why she keeps coming back to this hole in the wall.”

She looks around curiously before taking a large swig of her beer.

Gendry doesn’t linger on that thought for too long as he has something more intriguing plaguing his mind, “You said you set her up on this date?”

Sansa nods as she takes another drink and looks back to their table where Arya and Loras are once again deep in conversation.

“Why did you set her up with a gay man?” He can’t hide his amusement at the situation any longer.

Sansa looks back at him confused, “Loras isn’t…” Her words trail away as Gendry gives her a look like _do you really want to finish that sentence_, before her eyes widen in wonder and he can practically see the wheels turning in her head.

“Oh my god! That’s makes so much sense! I mean it’s not like he was ever hiding it, I just never put the pieces together before.”

Gendry doesn’t have the heart to tell her that Arya is headed their way while she’s busy reveling in her epiphany.

“How’s the date going?” Gendry can’t help the wide smirk on his face as Arya approaches and then looks at the woman in front of him.

“Sansa?” Arya tilts her head as Sansa hides hers further to the side away from her sister.

Arya then snatches the hat from her head forcing her sister to look her way, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Hey Arya, fancy seeing you here. I was just chatting with the barkeep and thought I’d finally check this place out. Seems nice.”

Arya scowls at her sister before turning to Gendry and then sighing heavily, “She’s spying on me, isn’t she?”

Gendry holds both hands up in innocence while laughing, “I’m not in this. I’m just serving drinks like a good employee of this fine establishment.”

“I can’t believe this.” Arya rolls her eyes before walking back to her table, earning Gendry a slap on the arm from her sister, “Why didn’t you tell her?”

Gendry laughs while pulling his phone out from his back pocket, “Because I have a better idea.”

He dials the familiar number before putting it to his ear, “Who are you calling?”

Gendry smiles mischievously at the red head, “My uncle.”

***

Arya tries to focus on the company in front of her, she really does, but she can’t help but to wonder and slightly panic at her sister and Gendry talking alone at the bar. By now she’s sure Sansa has realized her reasoning for frequenting this place so often as of late, but what she does with that information she’s not sure.

Loras is in the middle of telling her how he came to be purchasing her flowers when she interrupts him, “Will you excuse me just a moment?” She doesn’t give him the chance to reply as she’s already walking to the bar, stopping just behind where Sansa is sitting, takes a deep breath and then sits down beside her. “What the hell Sans, you can’t just crash my date like this. What if Loras sees you over here?”

“I’m not crashing anything, I just wanted to see how things were going. And now I know the reason you keep coming back here every weekend.”

Arya’s eyes follow Sansa’s until they land on Gendry helping customers across the room, “It’s not like that. I really like this place and Gendry is just a friend. He actually gives me pretty good insight into these dates I’ve been going on.”

“Oh, really,” Sansa folds her arms smugly across her chest, “And what has he said about this one.”

Arya opens her mouth to speak but closes it quickly when she realizes Gendry has in fact not said anything about Loras yet, even during the first two hours they were here before Sansa showed up. Which isn’t like him.

“Nothing, actually. Maybe Loras is the best one and a good match for me and he agrees so he’s not trying to talk me out of a second date. Which I have yet to go on with anyone.”

Sansa snorts, “I highly doubt that’s the case, Arya.”

Arya squints her eyes at her all-knowing sister, “What aren’t you telling me Sans, I know you’re hiding something.”

Sansa just rolls her eyes at his sister, “Oh, you’ll find out eventually. Better get back to your date.”

Arya stalks away pouting at not getting the information out of Sansa that she wanted. They’re both up to something, she knows it.

***

Gendry returns to the bar where Sansa is waiting impatiently just as his uncle walks in and joins them, earning a gasp from Sansa who leans in to whisper directly to him, “You didn’t tell me your uncle is Renly fucking Baratheon.”

Which in turn earns her another realization and a raise in her voice, “Wait, you’re a Baratheon?!”

Renly laughs next to Sansa and gives Gendry a smirk before leaning in as Gendry does the same from behind the bar until their faces are side by side and only inches apart, sporting huge gorgeous shit eating grins, “Come on, tell me you don’t see it, ay?”

Sansa laughs loudly, “Fuck! Does Arya know?”

Gendry smiles at the red head, “She knows.”

Renly gets more comfortable in his seat as he leans against the bar to face Gendry, “As much as I am enjoying this, why am I here exactly? You sounded very cryptic on the phone.”

Gendry dries pint glasses as he exchanges in conversation with Renly and the eldest Stark daughter, “Oh, don’t act like you had something better to do tonight. And…”

He points in the direction of Arya’s table and watches as Renly turns to gaze upon the date for himself.

“Loras Tyrell and Arya Stark? I didn’t even know he was back in town.” He laughs in amusement, “Does she think they’re on a date?” 

Gendry interrupts before Sansa can answer, “Wait, you know Loras?”

Renly smiles shyly, “We may have had a one-night stand before he left with his sister to build orphanages overseas with their inheritance.”

Fucking great. Gendry can’t even compete with the likes of a gay man.

Renly looks back at Sansa waiting for a response, knowing she’s the one with all the answers in this current situation.

Sansa sips her beer and shakes her head in conformation before speaking to both men, “Arya doesn’t know and what’s worse is that I don’t think Loras knows that she doesn’t know, you know?”

Gendry and Renly look at each other with furrowed brows before looking at Sansa and then back at one another.

Sansa sighs, “Well when I told Loras about tonight, I didn’t exactly make it sound like it was a date date. More like a ‘my sister is sad about getting stood up and it would make her feel better to know there’s guys out there that aren’t douchebags’ thing.”

Gendry smiles but tries to hide it, “Well that would explain the big ass bouquet in my kitchen right now. He unknowingly bought her sympathy flowers.”

Renly turns to Sansa in amused disbelief, “Why would you do that? What if she really likes him and wants another date date?”

Sansa keeps her eyes on Gendry when she responds to Renly, “I highly doubt that as well. I didn’t mean to; I just didn’t want him to reject the offer if he wasn’t interested in a date, which clearly, he isn’t. I didn’t want Arya to get rejected indirectly twice.”

Renly shakes his head at Sansa’s failed attempt at setting her sister up, “No more match making Sansa, you’re clearly no good at it. Let Arya pick her own dates from now on, okay?”

Gendry watches as Renly turns back to face him, “So, what’s the plan? Do we crash the date with the truth or go for more subtlety?”

Gendry sets the glass down and throws the towel over his shoulder before leaning against the counter, “That’s why I called you. I would just tell her myself, but she won’t believe me, and I didn’t want Loras to be put on the spot like that.”

Sansa rolls her eyes at the boys before abruptly standing up, “Oh for fuck’s sake, you two come with me.”

Gendry looks as if he wants to protest whatever Sansa is about to do, but he doesn’t and proceeds as told as he follows both Sansa and Renly over to Arya’s table, “Is she always this assertive?”

Renly smirks beside him, “Yes.”

Gendry watches in silence with his heart increasing in rhythm as Arya’s eyes widen when she sees the three approach. Loras, on the other hand, doesn’t seemed fazed or annoyed at the interruption whatsoever, which will hopefully make this as less awkward as possible.

“Sansa, what are you doing?” Arya speaks directly to her sister while Loras’ eyes land on Renly’s with a wide smile, “Renly. It’s nice to see you again, you too Sansa, what are you guys doing here?”

Sansa scoots Arya over in the booth so she can sit down and clear the air, “Okay, here’s the thing. Loras, I wasn’t exactly honest with my sister about tonight. She thinks she’s on a date with you. Which it was supposed to be until I found out you were gay.”

Arya’s eyes widen at that, “Wait, what?”

Loras looks back at Arya confused, “I thought you knew.”

Sansa continues after sighing heavily, “I just wanted Arya to go out with someone who would treat her well after she got stood up, so I led Loras to believe that’s all this was. Arya going out with a nice guy who wouldn’t treat her like shit.”

“But then Gendry called his uncle and it was brought to my attention that Loras would in fact _not_ think this was a date, so I needed to clear up the confusion before Arya went and asked to go out with him again.”

Gendry can’t take any of the missed signals anymore, “Sansa, no more setting up Arya, like ever. Arya, this non-date is over, so either you can go home or come hang out with me at the bar and wallow in booze. Loras, I believe my uncle would like to turn this non-date into a real one and catch up if you’ll have him.”

Once Gendry stops speaking, everyone save for him erupts in fits of laughter, “Sorry, Arya. I felt bad about your other date going so poorly, but I also don’t want to lead you on either.”

Arya waves him off easily, “It’s fine Loras, really. While I know what I have to offer, I feel like Gendry’s _hot_ uncle is a much better match for you.”

Arya pushes Sansa and herself out of the booth and ushers for Renly to sit down and take her place for the rest of the evening as Gendry follows the girls back to the bar leaving the two alone to get reacquainted.

Arya and Sansa relax at the bar while Gendry retrieves a couple of beers for the Stark sisters, “Well this is the best of your dates by far Ms. Stark.”

Arya throws a peanut at him, “Shut up.”

While Arya and Sansa head to the loo, Renly joins his nephew at the bar to request a round of drinks for him and his date, “You know, maybe she wouldn’t have to have another failed date if you just ask her out, mate.”

Gendry removes the top from two beers before sliding them to his uncle, “Am I that obvious?”

Renly takes the beers but stays where he stands, “No, I just see the way you look at her. It’s the same way I looked at Loras the first time we met.”

Gendry shakes his head and gives his uncle a sad smile, “Arya Stark is completely out of my league. She’d never go for a guy like me.”

Renly turns to walk away, “Oh you’re not wrong, that girl is one in a million, but you’ll never know unless you take the jump, dear nephew.”

Renly walks away leaving Gendry alone with that thought, which are the exact thoughts he’s afraid of.

***

This is by far the best of her dates despite the outcome and the teasing from Gendry. She gets to spend the rest of her night hanging out with him at the bar without feel guilty about it and she knows that’s better than anything else that could have happened tonight.

After a couple of hours chatting with her sister at the bar and Gendry occasionally jumping in between helping his customers, this is the most fun Arya’s had on a night out in a very long time.

Renly and Loras join them a little later to say goodnight, “I’m sorry again, Arya, for the confusion. I hope you liked the flowers.”

Arya takes a sip of her beer and thanks Loras for the evening while Renly beams at him in adoration, “He’s such a gentleman, isn’t he?”

Arya’s eyes widen and she nearly spits beer out of her nose at Renly’s seemingly innocent comment, which causes her to feign a cough to hide her choking and the blush rise to her cheeks and Gendry to give her a knowing smirk from his side of the bar.

They leave and Sansa follows after, leaving just the two of them alone once again for the unforeseeable future.

She watches him closely while he works, the last few minutes getting busier by the second. He’s wearing a tight grey t shirt that shows his every muscle and it makes Arya’s inside melt to jelly at the sight. Her eyes trail from the muscles in his biceps down to his hands, strong and steady. The veins reflex with the movements and she’s finding it hard not to imagine the words he said to her the first night they met. How those strong hands would push her against the wall and wrap themselves around her… _No. Stop it, Arya_, she thinks to herself pushing those dangerous thoughts from her mind.

Gendry gets a break from the rush and she’s not sure if it’s the alcohol giving her the courage to ask or if it’s just something she really wants to know prompting her to bring it up, “Okay, so I’m sure I’m the only lame one who brings all her first dates to the same bar, but what would you do Mr. Baratheon?”

She gives him her signature eyebrow quirk and she can’t tell if he’s smiling at her question or her facial expression, “You want to know what I would do on a first date?”

“Aye. What makes you special enough on the first to be rewarded a second?”

He throws down the towel he’s using to clean up behind the bar and leans against in directly in front of her, “Well for one, I’d pick her up and open her door for her every time, like a _gentleman_.” He winks and she swears her fucking heart stops right then and there.

“I’d take her wherever she wanted to go, and I’d treat her like the queen she is. Dinner and a movie if that what she’d prefer. But I’m more intimate than that, maybe a moonlit dinner by the lake at the park where we could talk without the interruption of others around. If you haven’t noticed, bartenders are very good at listening.”

She listens attentively at his tale of what a first date would consist of with him and it’s so detailed to her own preferences she could almost believe he’s describing a date with _her_. But that’s inconceivable, he’s just really sweet and good at his job, it’s not personal with them.

“And then when I take her home, I’d walk her to her door and if the moment was right, I’d kiss her ever so lightly, enough to let it linger, to let it be something so special and intimate, it’s all she can think about the rest of the night.”

Arya is so lost in how his blue eyes darken under her gaze she completely misses the man making himself comfortable beside her until he’s turned to face her and asking if he can buy her a drink.

Grey locked on blue for what seems like an infinite amount of time to appear normal to outsiders, she finally breaks his gaze and inhales deeply.

“I uh, no. I have to go. Bye.”

She grabs her bag and makes her way to the door as fast as she can, never looking back. If she did, if she looked into his blue eyes for one more second, she’s sure she’d do something stupid, like kiss his stupid face and completely embarrass herself if he didn’t return the affection.

Once she’s in her car she realizes she’s now left two gifts by two very different men at The Stag’s Head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm breaking him and Lauren up next chapter. For those that know me on Tumblr, you'll know what I'm talking about. 😂


	5. He Could Have Your Humor, But I Don't Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He strums his fingers across the bar top as she swallows heavily while keeping his steady gaze. She watches as his eyes flicker down to her lips and then back up again. She doesn’t breathe, she honestly thinks she forgot how to.
> 
> Only then does her date decide to show up and interrupt, whatever it is that was happening between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late, as I've been working on other one shots and such. And to be honest, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter either, but what can you do. 
> 
> Shout out to my mom for helping with Arya's outfit choice and @whatmakesmebleed and @qwillow for their input as usual.

Once she’s in her car she realizes she’s now left two gifts by two very different men at The Stag’s Head.

She relaxes back into the driver’s seat, the wheels turning in her head and running a hundred miles a minute at all the feelings that just emerged from the pit of her stomach to the surface of her mind and heart from the way Gendry told her how he would treat a woman on their first date. Feelings of wanting that to be her, of wanting _him_.

She’s stupid for getting flustered the way she did and running out like that, she could have stayed and turned the tables on him, flirting until he gave in and just asked her out already. A part of her feels like he wants to, but the other part doesn’t want to risk putting herself out there only to be shot down. In fact, she doesn’t think she’s ever been rejected before, and if the first time it happened was from someone she really likes, she might not recover so easily.

Arya takes a deep breath and contemplates what she should do about her growing crush. What if he rejects her? But what if he doesn’t, what if he wants her just as much as she wants him?

_Fuck it_, she thinks to herself as she fixes her hair and face in the mirror and before she jumps out of her car and heads straight back inside, a little more flirting and spending some time there with Gendry couldn’t hurt anything, and she needs to take home her flowers anyway. Yeah, that’s the excuse she’s going with. It’s the most plausible anyway.

She swings the door open and stops in her tracks at the sight before her, but really what was she expecting anyway?

She sees Gendry on the other side of the bar, nearest to the swinging kitchen doors, hugging a very pretty, very _blonde_ woman with a bright smile on his face, laughing as they end the hug but still keeping their arms around each other in a friendly embrace. Clearly, he knows this woman and clearly, she is _not _jealous of her. She’s talking animatedly about something and his eyes never linger from hers as he laughs and smiles at whatever she’s going on about. _He_ hugs her this time, with a little more feeling too.

Her heart is pounding in her chest at how she could be this stupid for thinking he was interested in her even a little. All the flirting and easy banter, he’s a bartender for fuck’s sake, that’s how they all act, just a part of their personality to perform their job better. _Get a grip on yourself_, she screams at herself in her head as she tries and fails to calm the jealous raging bitch inside her, which has also never been a thing until now she realizes as she continues to watch them from where she stands.

She doesn’t know how long she stays there just staring, but it’s only when the same man from before, the one who asked her if he could buy her a drink approaches her and asks if she’s alright does, she realize how ridiculous she probably looks. Perhaps looking about the same as when she so abruptly turned down his request and ran out on both him and Gendry, no doubt leaving them looking shocked at the bar at how fast she got out of there. 

She turns to face him then and notices for the first time since both their encounters that night, how attractive he is. He’s tall dark and handsome, in all the right ways with a killer beard on top of his natural good looks. He’s very attractive, but he’s no Gendry Baratheon. No one is, there’s only one him and he’s the one she wants to be on a date with tonight. Not Margaery’s brother, not Robb’s lawyer friend, just him. Shaking off that fact that that will most likely never happen, she finally finds her voice again.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for asking actually. And sorry I ran out like that; I know it was rude. I just had a lot on my mind.”

He smiles charmingly at her, “That’s quite fine, did you figure everything out? I mean you did run back in here with clear determination.”

She can’t decide if it’s endearing or creepy that he noticed that, but maybe he’s just observant to his surroundings, therefore she pushes that thought away and smiles politely back at him.

If Gendry isn’t interested in her, which by the looks of it, that much is clear, then there’s no point in rejecting him now. And besides, she’s not going to sit around and mope about him not returning her feelings. If he can flaunt around with some floozy blonde bimbo then for fucks sake, so can she with this gorgeous man in front of her.

If she’s completely honest with herself, she hopes Gendry seeing her with this man will spark some form of his own jealousy, much like she is fuming with right now. But that’s unfathomable.

She turns her attention back to the man in front of her, “I’m Arya.”

She holds her hand out for him to shake, which he does as she continues her apology, “I did, I was wondering if your offer still stands to buy me a drink, but not tonight though, how about tomorrow night?”

He smiles and shakes his head happily, “Tomorrow is good, I’ll see you back here, same time?”

Arya grins, “Okay, but you have to tell me your name first or no deal.”

He runs a hand through his shaggy hair and smiles sheepishly and she thinks he’ll be the perfect distraction for her growing feelings for a certain bartender, “Right. My name is Daario. So, do we have a deal?”

He holds out his hand once more for her to shake in agreement, which she does, “Deal. Goodnight, Daario.” She chances one more look back at Gendry with the blonde before leaving and she swears she’s seeing things when he meets her gaze, lips in a hard line and jaw rigged.

_Must’ve been something the blonde said_, she thinks to herself as she turns around and walks back out to her car for the last time that night.

***

She spends her Saturday trying to distract herself from all things The Stag’s head, a certain bar keep included, and ultimately fails miserably.

But even thinking about him isn’t the same anymore, now all she can think about is him with the blonde woman and the way he smiled at her and the way it made her feel. The way it made her feel things that she’s not used to feeling and she told Sansa as much during their phone call as she was getting ready for her date.

After some unsolicited advice from her sister regarding her outfit choice and her Gendry jealousy dilemma, she makes her way to the bar still at her regular time of arriving thirty minutes early because despite the nagging jealousy over a woman she doesn’t know and a woman that Gendry may or may not be dating, she still just can’t help herself.

She walks in wearing the dress that Sansa suggested from the choices in her closet, a black low cut cocktail dress with the matching choker and clutch, something Sansa likes to say came straight out of _Pretty Woman_ and if she remembers the movie correctly, it’s pretty damn close. Her hair is down and she smooths it out nervously as she walks inside.

Arya stops just inside the door to find the place already buzzing and looks around to see how crowded the space is, and as luck would have it, there’s an open spot at the bar just for her.

Just before she makes her way towards the bar stool, Gendry comes out of the kitchen and meets her wandering gaze, frozen where he stands like a deer caught in the headlights as the kitchen doors swing quickly and then slow their pace behind him.

She watches as his eyes trail from her feet, or from what he can see from where he stands, all the way up her body to find her eyes again, causing a pink to rise in her cheeks, although she’s sure he can’t see it from the distance between them.

She _can_ see, however, his Adam’s apple bob in his throat, like he’s swallowing heavily at the sight of her in the pub, while keeping his facial expression neutral, therefore her not being able to read him properly.

She smiles shyly as she walks over to the bar and sits in the empty stool as he passes off the plate of food in his hand to the woman on the opposite end before standing in front of her.

She sets her clutch down on the bar top but stays silent, waiting for him to speak first. If the way he just looked at her is any indication of how perfect her outfit choice was, then her plan to spark some form of jealously within him tonight is already starting to work it’s charm.

He clears his throat subtly, “You look, good. I, uh, I mean nice. Date tonight?”

She smiles slightly as he stumbles through his greeting, “Yes.”

He busies himself behind the bar while speaking only to her, “The guy from last night?”

That remark surprises her a bit causing her to mumble under her breath, _didn’t think you noticed_.

He scrunches his eyebrows, “Huh?”

She sighs audibly, “Nothing. Yes, it’s with the guy from last night. I came back inside to apologize to him for being so rude. I thought about it after I got out to my car and wanted to tell him I was sorry and to come back inside to get my flowers I left. After I apologized and agreed to go out with him tonight, I saw you were talking to someone, so I didn’t want to bother you and your girlfriend and figured the flowers could wait.” She shrugs as she plays with the simple silver ring on her right hand absentmindedly.

He laughs loudly, scaring her a bit, “She’s not my girlfriend, not anymore.”

Arya finds that hard to believe with the way he was with her the previous night, “Really? You two seemed pretty cozy last night. Does _she_ know it’s over?”

He laughs again, lighter this time, eyes full of something she can’t quite place as he mirrors the words, she thought he didn’t hear, “I didn’t think you noticed. In fact, I’d say you sound a little jealous right now.”

Her response comes out louder than she intends, “Ha!”

She lowers it to avoid further suspicion and speaks as nonchalantly as physically possible, “Of course, I’m not jealous you idiot. I’m just curious is all. She’s pretty. You know, if you’re into the basic blonde type.”

He narrows his eyes at her as if he doesn’t believe a word she’s saying, and rightfully so, “Well, I’d hope Lauren knows it’s over since she’s married and is pregnant with her first child. We dated on and off years ago and haven’t caught up in a minute. She was here last night with some friends and didn’t know I still worked here, she saw me and wanted to say hi and tell me the good news.”

Arya’s face falls and she tries to keep her expression unaffected by that revelation, the jealousy subsiding exponentially, “Oh, well that’s good, I suppose.”

Gendry hangs his head slightly as he chuckles, “I actually introduced her to her husband, right after we broke up for the last time.”

Gendry looks around the bar before finding Arya’s eyes again, “Do you want a drink while you want for…”

“Daario, and yes, my usual please.”

He smiles and it literally takes her breath away. She let herself get insanely jealous over nothing, but it still doesn’t answer the other question plaguing her mind. If she wasn’t his girlfriend, is he really single or is there someone else out there keeping his bed warm.

And now her jealousy has returned like a force of nature. 

He slides her red wine across the bar to her and she wraps her fingers around the glass but makes no move to bring it to her lips.

“So, Lauren’s the ex, who’s the girlfriend now?”

She hides her face behind the wine glass as she sips nervously.

“I don’t have girlfriend. Why are you so curious about my dating life all of a sudden anyway?” He looks at her suspiciously while he rings up tabs on the receipts for the waitress.

Shit. She wasn’t expecting a Q and A session.

“Just wondering, I mean you keep telling me what’s wrong with all my dates rather than what’s _right_ with them, I want to make sure that your unsolicited advice is actually going to help me get a second one, which has yet to happen.”

His eyes darken, “That’s because there _hasn’t_ been anything right with them so far.”

“Well maybe this one’s different. Maybe he’ll be the one to break the one date streak I have unwillingly created for myself.”

He sighs and his face turns to subtle sadness, “Yeah, maybe.”

He leaves her then to help out other patrons, leaving her alone at the bar with her lingering thoughts. So, the blonde is his ex and he’s single.

_Well if he wanted to ask you out, he probably would have done so already_, the voice in her head tells her loudly.

She starting to think maybe this is all futile. Yes, it’s helping strain the relationship with her mother, but at what cost? Each date just ends up in disaster, and if not a disaster then it just ends then and there. No second date, no exchanging of numbers. Just her alone once again with a stupid crush on her bartender that is not reciprocated except for casual flirting and banter that doesn’t lead beyond where she waits for her dates.

Gendry returns to the bar then and she realizes that it’s inching closer to when Daario said he’d meet her here, “So what’s with the Pretty Woman ensemble? Was that a conscious decision?”

She glances down to her black dress, “My sister helped me pick it out. Why, is it too much?” She’s starting to feel self-conscious now and a little panicky that maybe this wasn’t the wisest wardrobe decision.

He smiles charmingly at her and she doesn’t miss the flicker of lust in his blue eyes, “It’s not too much, I like it. And the choker necklace is fine too.”

She relaxes visibly and grins smugly, “Just fine?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Your neck would just look better with something else around it.”

He’s drying pint glasses but doesn’t meet her eyes, “Oh, yeah and what’s that?”

He sets the bar towel and glass down in their proper places before leaning a little closer to her from behind the bar while she sips on her wine, “These _hands_.”

He strums his fingers across the bar top as she swallows heavily while keeping his steady gaze. She watches as his eyes flicker down to her lips and then back up again. She doesn’t breathe, she honestly thinks she forgot how to.

Only then does her date decide to show up and interrupt, whatever it is that was happening between them.

Gendry coughs loudly before resuming his bartender stance as Arya turns to greet Daario beside her, watching as he takes his finger and wipes some red wine still lingering on her bottom lip.

Shit, so that’s why he stared at her like that. Not because he wanted her, but because she had something on her face for fuck’s sake. She thinks it’s a little brazen for Daario, a complete stranger, to actually wipe the wine from her lip rather than just telling her it was there so she could remove it herself, but the way Gendry’s lips form a hard line when he does, she supposes she doesn’t mind the gesture. 

“I see you already have a drink, good.” He smiles charmingly at Gendry before handing him his credit card, ordering a drink for himself and telling him to put all of Arya’s drinks on his tab.

She lets Daario lead her over to a booth on the back wall after he gets his drink and she makes it a point to sit on the side that gives her a clear view of Gendry working behind the bar.

Arya tries to listen to him telling her the story of him just getting out of a serious relationship with someone that didn’t love him back and she tries to be sympathetic and listen, really, she does. But she just can’t get Gendry’s comment out of her mind. Yes, he was flirting, that much was clear as day. But that wasn’t just casual flirting like he does as a bartender. No, that was _flirting_ flirting.

And if he wants her as much as she wants him and as much as she thinks he does, he’s just going to have to step up and make the first move. She’ll be damned if she gives him the satisfaction of putting herself out there like that, when she’s been doing it so much this past month with all her dates. No, this is all on him and it’s time to take her plan up a notch. If this date fails, and if she’s honest with herself, she hopes it will, she’s bound and determined to not leave here tonight without another date lined up with a certain Baratheon bastard.

Which is what leads her to her third glass of wine and letting Daario wrap his arms around her out on the dance floor. And the look Gendry gives them when he does is so worth it. It’s stupid, she knows it is to lead him on like this, with the flirting and falling over his every word, but she’s also well past caring about the consequences. She just needs to keep it up long enough for Gendry to interrupt with a raging flurry of his own envy for the man whose eye’s she is staring back into or at least give her an indication that she should be on a date with him rather than the one she’s currently on. 

***

He wasn’t expecting to run into her so soon. After her date with Loras had ultimately failed, they spoke so easily at the bar afterwards and he found it quiet easy to tell her how he would treat someone on a first date, how he would treat _her_, and with the way she ran out of there so fast, he expected she came to that conclusion.

But then Lauren had walked in and he got so caught up in the moment of catching up with her, he almost missed Arya coming back to the bar and chatting up some other guy across the pub, which didn’t sit well with him for a reason that he could only place as growing jealousy, something that never became so certain with her dates until now.

He sighed and relaxed when she left the bar alone, only to be brought right back to that moment when he saw her again tonight, clad in the sexiest black dress he thinks he’s ever seen on anyone before.

And just as he guessed it; she was here all dolled up to meet the same man he saw her with last night. Honestly, if she decides to keep bringing her dates here, he might have to take an extended vacation. He can’t be partial with Arya anymore, not after coming to the realization that it’s not just a crush he’s developed, but actual feelings. Feelings that spring to the surface when she’s here looking like the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen before. Feelings that force him to tell her how wrong all these men are for her, when in fact he honestly doesn’t know if they really are or not, but that’s not something he’s ever going to tell her.

He had hope when he watched her face express jealousy over seeing him with his ex-girlfriend _and_ when he saw relief wash over her at the admission of his current single relationship status, her not realizing he’s only single because of her. He gets plenty of his fair share of women flirting with him and asking him out while he’s at work, but as of late he has yet to give them any indication that the feeling is mutual, save for a certain grey-eyed Stark. If he were to really flirt with anyone else or even so much as say yes to a date, it would just feel wrong if it wasn’t Arya. But she’s so far out of his league, he thinks if his feelings don’t go away or simmer anytime soon, he’ll remain single for the indefinite future. 

This game they’re playing, the flirting and constant sexual tension is getting to be too much and watching her make more dates just proves that she’s not interested in him in any other capacity than that of a bartender and customer. 

He almost lost it right then and there when he saw the little drop of red wine on her bottom lip. The liquid calling out to him like a lifeline and he wanted nothing more than to taste _it_ and _her_ with his tongue until that’s _all_ he could taste.

He was seconds away from telling her as much, but as if all the Gods are against him, her date’s timing once again, was impeccable.

And what’s worse is he can’t find a single thing about this guy that would suggest him not earning a second date with Arya, the thought making his blood boil profusely.

He knows she’s a little tipsy after her third glass of her favorite wine and watching them dance close to one another is not helping his growing fury. A trait he no doubt inherited from his father that he’s had issues with in the past, issues no one knows about, not even his sister, whom he’s the closest with.

She’s watched him all night, keeping her eyes focused on her date for a few seconds, but then on him even longer. He thought she was going to approach him when she slowly got up from her side of the booth and he braced for her coming up to the bar and asking for his opinion on her date, the same way she has in the past. But when she moved to the other side to grab _his_ hand with her own, his heart sank into his stomach as he watched her lead them out onto the middle of the floor in the pub where two other couples has taken up dancing closely to one another while the slow love songs played throughout the room. _Don’t be ridiculous, of course she’s going to be tentative to her date, which is not you_, he thinks to himself as his eyes trail over them from across the room.

He watches them sway back and forth, her arms wrapped around his neck, his around her waist, not noticing Daario’s hand glide a little bit lower than where Arya had placed them. What he does notice, however, is her choker missing from her neck and he can’t help but to wonder what made her remove it.

They stay that way for an impossible amount of time and he still continues to watch, despite the nagging jealousy floating around the surface of his mind, but he just can’t seem to turn away. With all the tables full and the bar stools empty, he leans against it and watches as Daario’s hands slide from her lower back to her ass, causing Arya to subtly bring them back up, higher on her back this time.

After a few more seconds the fucker tries again and Gendry’s jaw clenches tightly.

Daario’s hands slide back down to firmly grab her ass and pull her closer, forcing Arya to put her hands on his chest and push him back to give them a little more space.

Gendry takes a few steps toward the end of the bar, one hand gripping the end of the baseball bat he uses to threaten the drunks that cause havoc occasionally, while keeping his eyes on the pair in the middle of the pub.

Daario keeps it up and doesn’t take the hint to back off, making Arya vocally express her being uncomfortable with him at not taking no for an answer. He grabs the bat and closes the distance between them quickly, using the bat to break a beer bottle at the empty high top next to them, causing it to shatter across the floor and the pub to fail into a dead silence, all eyes on the conformation around them.

He then points the end of the bat at Daario, eyes locked on his, jaw clenched so tight he grinds his teeth together painfully, “I think the lady said no, mate. I suggest you get the fuck out before I break your fucking arm and get blood all over my favorite bat here, yeah?”

His arm muscles flex at the strain of holding the bat so tight and so close to Daario’s face, just centimeters from his nose as the man on the dangerous end holds up both hands in defense, not wanting to make a sudden move that could force Gendry to collide said bat with his face.

“Yeah, yeah.” He backs up slowly before grabbing his jacket from the booth they were in and leaving abruptly.

He stands there with his bat still at his side as he takes the chance to reach Arya’s eyes that are wide with a little bit of fear behind the darkened grey, “Gendry, I…”

He cuts her off with a single raised hand before shielding the bat behind the bar and making his way through the kitchen doors, knowing Arya can’t follow, leaving her alone and shocked in the middle of the pub with broken brown glass all around her feet. He doesn’t want her to see him like this, because he doesn’t want her to be scared of him. 

He grabs his jacket from Davos’ office, throwing it on quickly as he passes by Thoros and informs his friend he’s taking a break and will be back once he cools off to which Thoros agrees and tells him to take as much time as he needs. Gendry knows Thoros heard and saw what had just conspired in the pub he manages and the last thing he wants to do is cause trouble for him or Davos with unnecessary violence. But watching Arya being man handled by her date broke something in him. He knows if this had occurred anywhere else, he’d most likely be sitting in a jail cell right now while the man who met the end of his bat sat in a hospital emergency room.

It’s well over twenty minutes before he makes his way back inside the pub and once inside, he looks around and finds that Arya is nowhere to be seen.

For the first time since he met her, he’s thankful she’s not here when he gets back to work, the waitress on his shift already having cleaned up the mess he made, which causes irrevocable guilt to sink in.

But what he’s not thankful for and honestly a little bit frightened of is that he doesn’t see her the next weekend, or even the weekend after that, her seemingly to have disappeared from his life the way he had that night when he walked away from her without another word. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So even though I kept telling myself I didn't like anything I was writing, I kept it anyway, not knowing how else it was going to come out. I still got my point across from my outline notes. It's the next chapter that I'm most excited about. So stay with me, I promise everything will come together like it should.


	6. A Chance Encounter, Of Circumstance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Promise me you’ll take my advice and talk to Gendry?”   
Arya sighs heavily before narrowing her eyes and the mischievous glint in her sister’s expression, “Fine. I promise.”   
Sansa’s grin turns into a full-blown shimmering smile as she grabs Arya by the shoulders and spins her around, knocking her a little off balance before leaning down to her level, “Good. Because here’s your chance.”   
“What…” Arya follows Sansa’s line of sight to see Gendry a few yards away walking with a little girl and his sister, Mya, she remembers from her lunch date with Podrick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll, this chapter is long af, over 8k and I didn't have the heart to split it after I teased so much on tumblr.

Arya paces around the foyer of her brother’s house impatiently waiting for Sansa and Talisa to finally descend the staircase with her four-year-old niece in hand and ready to go. The girls have been ready for thirty minutes now, but since the littlest one has been throwing a fit of tantrums as of late, it’s taken her sister in law more time to get the little girl ready than it usually does. 

To say she’s happy to be getting a night out with her sisters and niece would be the understatement of the season. She’s been a typical workaholic lately, ever since they’ve started on the new expansion project at the museum, which has also been her excuse to put all of her time and energy into working rather than focusing on other aspects of her life, her _dating life_ to be more specific.

It’s been three weeks since she’s been to The Stag’s Head, and after her last date ended in disaster, she supposes it’ll be even longer than that before she’s ready to return and face a certain bartender again. When she thinks back to that night, her mind and heart fill with dreaded guilt. She feels guilty that she let her jealousy over Gendry get so out of control that she opened herself up to get put in that position with Daario in the first place, coming off a little too strong and brazen that lead him to believe she was more interested in him than she really was, and that she put Gendry in a position to defend her in the way that he did. She knows he’s not the type of person to sit back and watch a woman in his bar be touched and groped without permission, so it didn’t surprise her that he stepped in to defuse the situation. But she also knows he probably got a little extra worked up since they’re friends and she wasn’t just a random customer, perhaps it was a little more personal for him, which makes her feel worse about the whole ordeal.

The last thing she wants to do is cause trouble for him that could endanger him and his job, along with the other employees she’s grown to call friends. That and the fact that it just made her attraction for him grow even more to the point where she doesn’t think she can actually face going on another date, with someone that’s not _him._ She knows it wouldn’t be fair to her other dates if she wasn’t one hundred percent interested in them, and with Gendry around, she knows she wouldn’t be.

Arya was mere seconds away from landing a fist to Daario’s face had Gendry not stepped in to stop him for her, which she has to admit, was _hot._ But the way he looked after it was all said and done and the calm of the situation had set in, had her reeling from the emotions and the guilt, she felt that she had to get out of there before she made things worse. The longer she waited for him to return to the bar, the guiltier she felt that maybe he was mad at her or blamed her in some way, so she high tailed it out of there before she had a chance to face him again. Which she regretted almost instantaneously, but by the time she realized maybe she should have stayed to apologize, it was already too late. The damage was done, and she tried her best to move on and move past it.

And so, she’s buried herself in her work and put an indefinite hold on her dating and social life until she can find a way to simmer the feelings she has for Gendry, which has taken it’s toll far beyond a simple crush.

She can’t help but to think of him often, to wonder if he’s been thinking about her and why she’s disappeared the last few weeks. She never even got a chance to thank him for what he did, and she hopes that she’ll be able to tell him in person one day soon once she gets her shit together.

Arya adjusts the leg warmers she’s wearing under her rainboots as she hears the shuffling upstairs indicating the girls will be on their way down momentarily. Since King’s Landing has called for an unusual amount of rain lately, she opts for wearing her over sized raincoat over a long crop top and black shorts that reach just above where her leg warmers poke above her boots. 

Even though potential rain is calling, she’s not letting that stop her from having a good time at the fall festival, the first fun thing she’s done in almost a month, if you can call her dates _fun_.

“Ready!” She hears Sansa call from the top of the stairs where she and Talisa hold each hand of her niece, Millie.

Arya walks out behind Sansa as Talisa picks her daughter up and throws her on her hip as they make their way out to the car, “What was it this time?”

Sansa sighs heavily as they get into the car, “She didn’t want to wear anything we picked out until we finally settled on her Minnie mouse shirt, matching pants and shoes.”

Arya laughs as they get into the SUV, Millie buckled and ready in her car seat with Arya beside her and Sansa in the passenger seat.

By the time they arrive, the festival is in full swing with excited kids and parents alike roaming around the dark November night, the full moon beaming high in the sky above.

With so many options to choose from, it’s hard getting a four year old to settle on one thing before her attention falls onto the next, so they decide to get their faces painted first before moving on to a few rides before the group moves on to all of the food stands.

Arya and Sansa watch as Talisa and Millie get matching butterflies painted on their right cheeks, Millie picking out something similar for both of her aunts to have painted as well.

“Will you please try to have some fun tonight? I’m tired of seeing you mope around these past few weeks. And don’t try to tell me you’re just tired from working so much. I know you better than that, I know it’s because you’ve stopped your dates which means you haven’t been able to see your favorite bartender anymore.”

Sansa points her finger at Arya while Arya can only glare in return, knowing there’s no point in arguing, everything her sister just said is right, “I just feel so bad after what happened the last time I was there.”

She told Sansa _everything_, from her getting jealous over seeing Gendry with his ex, to her plan to try to get a rise of jealousy from him, which only backfired after her date got a little to handsy. Her sister had listened and sympathized, letting Arya know that it wasn’t her fault at all, there’s no way she could have predicted how sleazy her date turned out to be, and also how _protective_ her best bartender could be either given the right circumstances. Gendry turned out to be her _knight in shining ale_ when he threatened Daario with that bat, and Sansa for one, was thankful for it.

“I told you it wasn’t your fault, Ar. You should go back and make things right with him, thank him for what he did. Yes, it was a little stupid of Gendry to threaten him so publicly like that, but he got you out of a bad situation. And I think he only got so heated in the way he did because he likes you too.”

Arya’s lips form a hint of a smile, but she doesn’t have time to process Sansa’s observation fully, for her niece is already pulling her and her sister down to replace her and her mom in their respected seats for their turn at face painting.

After their faces are clad with pretty butterflies and a cotton candy later, they make their way over to the rides and then stand in line to get tickets.

Arya and Talisa, with Millie at her side eating her pink cotton candy, face the ticket booth while Sansa is turned to face Arya. She watches as Sansa’s face lights up from seeing something over Arya’s shoulder before looking back at her sister, “Promise me you’ll take my advice and talk to Gendry?”

Arya sighs heavily before narrowing her eyes and the mischievous glint in her sister’s expression, “Fine. I promise.”

Sansa’s grin turns into a full-blown shimmering smile as she grabs Arya by the shoulders and spins her around, knocking her a little off balance before leaning down to her level, “Good. Because here’s your chance.”

“What…” Arya follows Sansa’s line of sight to see Gendry a few yards away walking with a little girl and his sister, Mya, she remembers from her lunch date with Podrick. 

Shit.

Her heart starts hammering in her chest knowing he’s so close and also at seeing him for the very first time outside of his workplace. And boy, does he look _good_ too. He’s wearing a hoodie with some words written across she can’t quite make out with dark jeans and black sneakers. His smile is bright, and his hair seems to be fluffier than usual, and _fuck_, why is she thinking about how attractive he is, when she should be panicking about potentially running into him and not knowing what the fuck to say if she does.

She turns back around quickly in the hopes he nor Mya spot her from where she stands, “I’m not interrupting his time with his sister, Sans. If we happen to run into them, then fine, I’ll try to see if we can have a minute to talk. And don’t even _think_ about purposefully steering us in his direction.” She turns the tables on her sister and stares at her pointedly while watching as Sansa’s face drops into a pout. She knows her sister’s scheming mind all too well.

They move up in line and Arya tries to focus on her family rather than Gendry behind her. She fails, miserably. She wants to walk right up to him and tell him how sorry and thankful she is and how she missed seeing him at the bar since she stopped coming in, but she doesn’t. Instead, she moves ahead in line with the girls, orders her tickets for the rides, and continues about her night like he’s not even there. If fate wanted them to run into each other, then it would happen whether she liked it or not. And she knows she’d like it very much.

The first few rides go by quickly, Millie laughing with her mum and aunts and Arya’s having more fun than she thought she would. She loves seeing her niece so happy and it warms her heart to know she can help put that smile on her face.

Arya agrees to watch Millie while Talisa and Sansa find the restrooms and then them some drinks. They’re standing by the Ferris wheel when Mil grabs a fist of her raincoat and pulls as hard as her little fist can manage, “Auntie Arry, I wan ride dat!” She points up to the large wheel full of people making its rounds and just as Arya is about to agree and walk them towards the entrance line, she feels someone come up and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She sighs in relief when Mya appears by her side, a young girl not much older than Millie around her hip, “Arya? I thought that was you.”

Mya smiles brightly and she can’t help but to smile back, butterflies invading her belly knowing if Mya is here next to her, then her brother is sure to be somewhere very close by.

“Hey Mya. Who’s this?” She turns to smile at the little girl hiding shyly behind her mother’s shoulder.

“This is Lizzie. Lizzie this is my friend Arya, can you say hello?” The little girl remains quiet, but gives her a small wave in acknowledgement, “Hi Lizzie. It’s nice to meet you. And this is Millie.”

After Millie greets both girls politely, Arya’s breath hitches as she eyes Gendry walking towards them with his head down, watching the drinks in his hands carefully to make sure they don’t spill, he doesn’t even know she’s there with his sister.

“Hey, I didn’t know what Liz wanted so I got… Arya.” He looks up before he finishes his sentence and his train of thought gets derailed when he spots her standing next to Mya.

He’s gaping slightly for a few seconds like his brain forgot how to function properly, which earns him an elbow from his older sister, “Earth to Gendry, you got her what?”

He closes his mouth and she can’t help but to find his slight awkwardness endearing causing a small smile to form on her lips, “I uh, I got her the same thing as you.”

He hands the drinks off to the girls as he finally pulls himself together long enough to properly greet her, “Hi, it’s good to see you.”

She smiles shyly and hopes that they can’t hear how loud her heart is thrumming in her ears, “You too.”

Mya smiles and glances between the two, “Well Lizzie and I are going to go enjoy our drinks over there while you two catch up. I’ll find you later, little brother.”

Gendry opens his mouth to protest, but ultimately agrees to let them be, knowing arguing with his sister is redundant, “Yeah, alright.”

Arya and Gendry both watch as Mya walks off in the same direction her sisters would be returning from any minute now. She turns back to Gendry in time to find him staring at the little girl wrapped around her leg. She picks Millie up and throws her on her hip, “Millie Lillie, say hi to my friend Gendry.”

“Hi Gendwy.” She laughs on the inside while her lips twitch at a smile as she watches the wheels turn in his head, knowing exactly what’s running through his mind, so she decides to have some fun with it.

“So, I uh, I guess this is something else you should know about me.”

Gendry’s eyes widen subtly, yet dramatically as he seems to be at a loss for words, “Oh!”

Arya roars in a fit of laughter at his expression, “I’m totally just fucking with you.”

She watches as Gendry’s expression turns from shock to scowl, “You should have seen the look on your face!”

She’s still laughing by the time Talisa and Sansa rejoin them, “What’s so funny?”

Millie reaches out to her mum, which is reciprocated immediately, “Auntie Arry said a bad word!”

Sansa laughs at her niece, “I don’t think that’s what Arry is laughing at, love.”

Talisa looks pointedly at her daughter while still smiling, “And you know you can’t say that bad word, right?”

Millie shakes her head dramatically, “Right!”

Gendry rolls his eyes at Arya while reaching out his hand to introduce himself to the only Stark family member he hasn’t already met, “Gendry Baratheon, I assume Millie is yours then?”

Sansa feigns surprise at her sister, all the while still finding it absurdly hilarious, “Did you let him think she was your kid?”

Arya regains some self-control before shrugging her shoulders, her sister in law ignoring her in favor of returning the greeting, “Talisa Stark. I’m married to their brother Robb and this is _our_ daughter, Millie.”

Sansa holds her hand out with a charming smile on her face, “Gendry, nice to see you again.”

“Ah yes, my favorite date crasher.” He smiles brightly at Sansa before meeting Arya’s steely gaze, her cheeks a light shade of pink from the cool breeze.

Sansa giggles before pointing back over her shoulder in the direction they just came from where all the food vendors are set up, “Was that your sister we passed?”

She grabs Talisa’s arms and pulls her and Millie back, “We should go say hi, it’d be rude not too, right Tal?”

The girls retreat quickly as Sansa smiles back at her sister with a wink, “Very subtle Sans. Thanks.” Arya doesn’t even try to hide her annoyance in front of Gendry.

She turns back to face him, rolling slowly on the heels of her boots, hands shoved deep inside her raincoat pockets as he rubs the back of his neck nervously under his hoodie.

“So how…”

“How’s it…”

They laugh amusedly after they both begin talking in unison, Arya jumping in before it happens a second time, “Wanna ride?”

Gendry clears his throat calmly, a soft blush across his stubbled face, “I’m sorry?”

She points up to the Ferris wheel that has stopped to let off riders and take new ones on, “Uh, yeah, sure.”

They stand in line behind a handful of other people and she can feel Gendry’s eyes study her face, “What is it?”

He smiles and fuck, he’s cute, “Nothing, just admiring your butterfly there.”

She remembers the face painting she endure and then laughs, “Oh right, it was Millie’s idea.”

They move ahead a few steps in line, “I actually have a butterfly tattoo, they’re kinda my thing.” She shrugs as his eyes widen slightly, “Really? Can I see it?”

“Only if you’re lucky.” She winks as she thinks about where her tattoo is located on her upper rib cage, just under her left breast and it makes her insides heat up imagining him running his fingers and his mouth over it.

His face falls in an obvious blush and it’s just the reaction she was hoping for.

They’re next in line and he looks hesitant but follows her anyway as she hands the operator enough tickets for them both before climbing on and making sure the door is latched and secure behind them. She sits on the inside while Gendry sits close on her left as the operator double checks the latch before starting the ride. As they ascend towards the night sky, the ground brightly lit with lights from the festival she eyes Gendry holding on to the side until his knuckles turn white.

“Are you okay?”

He shakes his head in agreement. 

But he is definitely not okay.

“Wait, are you afraid of heights?”

The guilts kicks in again and she feels it all over her body, “We can get off after the first spin, I didn’t know.” She relaxes slightly as does he, “If you’re afraid of heights, why the fuck did you agree to ride with me?” She laughs now, not trying to hide her amusement at his stubbornness.

He turns to her then and folds his hands in his lap, she assumes to keep his mind preoccupied, “Because you asked, and I wanted to talk to you. To explain why I just took off like I did that night.”

She stops him before he can explain himself, she needs to get her reasoning out before she psyches herself out of saying it altogether, “No, listen, I’m sorry for putting you in that position and for making a scene. I didn’t mean for it to get so out of control. If you hadn’t intervened, you’d probably would have had to pick his sorry ass up from the floor but _thank you._ Really, for what you did. I just feel so stupid about it.”

She watches as they make their signature stop at the top, giving each rider a moment to enjoy the view but all she can do is keep her eyes locked on his, and his on hers.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything Arya, he deserved it and he’s lucky all I did was threaten him. Believe me, I was ready to do much worse. I’ve had some anger issues in the past and I just didn’t want you to see me like that, so I just needed to cool off, but when I came back you were gone, and then you _stayed_ gone.”

Arya breaks her eyes away from his, the plague of guilt washing over her once more, “Yeah, after that I just felt really guilty that I caused so much trouble for you. Thought it would be best if I just focused on work for a while and take a break from the whole dating scene. It doesn’t seem to be working out in my favor.”

Gendry looks taken back by her confession, “Wait, so you haven’t gone out with anyone else since that night?”

She stretches her arms out in front of her before clasping her hands together in her lap as the wheel starts to turn again, “Nope. We’ve been working furiously on the expansion project, so I’ve just been getting lost in work. This is actually the first time I’ve been out anywhere that wasn’t work or home since then.”

Gendry looks down and she sees the smile he tries to hide at her words. _Is he happy about that? _She thinks to herself as he turns to meet her grey eyes, “Well are you glad to be out? You seem really happy with your niece. She’s pretty cute.”

She laughs lightly, a soft breath escaping her lips, “She’s amazing. I am glad I came out tonight, I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on. I guess I’m not cut out for being married to my work.”

If anything, she really doesn’t mind working so much because she does really love her job, she just likes making time to see her family and friends and misses her time spent at the pub. With a date or not, she really wants to get back to that part of her life, and now she’s starting to think maybe she can, and have it better than it was before. 

Gendry returns her smile, “I have a confession of my own to make.”

Arya narrows her eyes at him playfully, “Go on.”

“I had to throw out your flowers as they died a slow and probably painful death.”

She laughs loudly then, surprised by how light their conversation turned thanks to Gendry’s change of subject from how deep it was getting, “It’s okay, just as long as my bottle of scotch is still around somewhere over there untouched.”

He smiles as he helps her climb off the ride, “It’s waiting for whenever you’re ready to come and either _savor_ it or _use_ it. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d have to clean up broken glass and it sure as hell won’t be the last.”

She thinks back to when he slammed the bat into the beer bottle, shattering the amber glass across the floor and how fucking turned on she was by it. She feels the heat rise up in her stomach and flow down to her core, and she hopes to all the Gods above he can’t see her flush at the memory he elicited from his words.

She’s in more trouble than she thought.

***

His head is spinning, and he doesn’t know how to concentrate on the here and now, his mind is constantly flowing back to that night when he saw her in distress, and how angry he felt at someone upsetting her. He let his fury take control and potentially scared her away for good, but when he saw her standing next to his sister, she looked anything but frightened by him, and he instantly felt relief wash over him at seeing her again.

Gendry knows he hasn’t been in the best of moods these past few weeks he’s gone without seeing her on a date at the pub, even Mya and Podrick have told him as much. He thought about showing up to her work more than once, but ultimately told himself that it wouldn’t be the wisest decision. If she wanted to see him, surely, she would. So, he gave her the space he thought she needed and left it at that, no matter how sullen he felt about it. It’s not like they were friends outside of the pub anyway right, perhaps she only saw him as such, just a friendly bartender and nothing more.

He thought seeing her again would be awkward and maybe it was at first when he thought she was telling him that she was a mother, something that never crossed his mind, but then she laughed and his heart grew ten times the size at how easy they fell back into their easy banter. That is until her sister had to make things uncomfortable again, if only for a fleeting moment. But from what he’s seen of the eldest Stark daughter, he wouldn’t expect anything less.

His first instinct when she asked him to climb onto that circular death trap with her was to run away, but she looked absolutely radiant under the shimmering lights and he couldn’t quite bring himself to tell her no, nor could he feel his body once he was on the damn thing. Everything went numb as they got further away from the ground, until his blue eyes met her grey and suddenly, he felt himself grounded and safe again.

He tried to explain to her the best he could of why he just walked away, of him not wanting her to see him angry like that, and the fact that a part of her blamed herself for what had happened, only makes his fury grow and he wants nothing more than to find Daario and beat him to a bloody pulp.

And then the fact that she hasn’t been on anymore dates since that night calmed his nerves like a ship finally breaking through the stormy weather. Safe and at peace. He only wishes now she would come back to spend time with him at the pub just for merely spending time with him and nothing else. No dates, no douchebags getting handsy, just the two of them, him making her laugh in a crowd full of drunks. And if he’s really lucky, maybe one day they can evolve into something more.

He helps her out of the cart and is glad to be on solid ground once again, but his nerves from the anxiety of being so high up get the best of him and he misses his footing as he steps off the tiny set of stairs that holds the Ferris wheel off the ground, forcing him to stumble into Arya and her to grab his arms instinctively so he doesn’t fall over.

Caught in the intensity of the moment and her body pressed against his, neither of them moves, and he can feel her warm breath against his neck as her grey eyes shimmer in the dark up at him beneath long black lashes.

Without thinking too much about it, his hand moves to her face to push the stray curl of hair back behind her ear and he watches as her eyes close to the feeling of his touch, of his fingers lightly tracing her cheek, her face moving further into his hand like a moth to a flame. If he were to lean in just a little bit, he could feel her lips brush softly against his. 

He chances a glace down to her lips as her eyes remain close, her face turned into the palm of his hand, his insides turning and twisting and everything in him is on fire and buzzing like an alcoholic at an open bar at the way her lips part slightly, as if she’s sensing what he’s thinking of doing and bracing herself for it.

His heart is beating so fast and loud in his chest, all he can hear is the thumping rhythm in his ears, blocking everything and everyone else out as if they are the only two people here in this place as he moves in to close the remaining distance that’s between them.

He feels her breath mixing in with his own and it’s so intoxicating he can’t think about anything else, until a piercing scream rings out from behind them causing them both to jump back in fear, eyes wide and on high alert.

He watches Arya’s eyes land on something behind them and he turns to see where and who the scream came from. His gaze falls upon Sansa and Talisa trying to calm a screaming and crying Millie with Mya and Lizzie nearby and he feels the breeze as Arya runs quickly towards her family, him falling just a step behind her retreating form, the moment lost in the wind like everything else that seems to happen with them.

“What’s wrong Lillie Millie?” Arya crouches her body down, so she is face to face with her niece that’s sitting on a picnic bench next to her aunt Sansa.

“I wanna ride da Eris wheel with you but mummy says you were busy, and we had to wait for you.” The little girl wipes at her cheeks with the back of her hand as her tears continue to fall, albeit slower this time and with less force.

“Oh, my sweet girl, come here.” Arya picks up her niece and holds her close to her chest while Millie wraps her arms around Arya’s neck and her small legs around her stomach. She uses her hand to stroke the back of her head in a soothing motion as she tells her sisters she’ll take her for a ride and meet them back here when they’re done.

Arya carries Millie back towards the Ferris wheel and but then screams again for Arya to stop once they get a few feet away, “I want Gendwy come too!”

With those few little words, Gendry realizes that Arya isn’t the only Stark girl that’s wrapped around his finger. He takes a hesitant step towards them as Arya smiles back at him in apology, “Only if that’s alright with him, love.”

Gendry reaches his hand out to pinch Millie lightly on the cheek, causing the little girl’s face to light up and a loud giggle to escape her sad face, “Of course, I’d be honored Millie Lillie.” He uses Arya’s common nickname for her niece, which earns him a bright smile in return. 

They climb on for the second time that night, only this time with Millie cushioned comfortably between them, her hands on both of their thighs as she bounces her tiny legs in excitement as the wheel makes it’s turn around in slow motion.

He finds his nerves and anxiety over his fear of heights decreasing the more they go around, just as long as he focuses on Arya beside him, her hair blowing softly in the breeze and every so often, a few strands landing on her face and mouth causing her to laugh before pushing them out of the way. He realizes how obvious his staring is, but she doesn’t seem to mind as she finds his gaze before mouthing a soft thank you as they continue to go around.

This, he believes is the best night he’s had in a very long time.

Once they get off, the little girl is bouncing up and down for Arya to hold her in her arms and he finds that history will not be repeating itself from the last moment they had getting off the ride, the moment where he almost kissed her and she appeared to have wanted to kiss him back.

They find the rest of their group a minute later, Millie already wanting to be back in her mother’s arms as she hands her a stuffed toy that she had won for her while they were on their ride. He watches as she beams with happiness at the stuffed otter, pouting slightly as she fiddles with the little paper tag that is in the way.

Mya pulls out the small pocketknife that he had made for her to cut and remove the tag as Arya walks closer to his sister to get a better look, “Can I see that?”

He watches as Mya smiles and hands the object to Arya. She twirls the knife around in her small fingers, studying the metal, “Where did you get this?”

Mya looks at Gendry while Arya keeps her eyes on the knife in her hand, “Ask him.”

Arya’s eyes find his then, wide with wonder, “You bought this for her? Where? It’s beautiful, reminds me of the weapons we have on display at the museum.”

Gendry smiles at the memory of her telling him that was her favorite part of her job, “I didn’t buy it.”

She smirks at him playfully, “Well I know you didn’t steal it, you’re not the thief type.”

She goes back to smiling at the knife before handing it back to Mya to close and then put away safely. He sticks his hands in his pockets and rolls on his heels, “No, I didn’t steal it, I _made_ it.”

Her eyes go wide at his revelation, a slow smile spreading across her face and suddenly his feet are the most interesting thing around. He thinks she’ll never understand the affect she has on him, by just being _Arya_. If he’s completely honest with himself, he’ll know he’s on the edge of falling so hard for her, he’ll never be able to recover.

Before anyone says anything else, Mya and Lizzie ask Talisa and Millie if they’d like to join them on some other rides, leaving Sansa alone with Arya and Gendry.

“I’m just gonna go see if they need help with the girls, you two have fun.” Sansa retreats quickly leaving them alone for the second time that night, with more tension than ever after their almost kiss.

He chances looking up at her and finds she’s still wearing that same smile, “You really made that?”

They start walking then, to nowhere in particular, just moving slowly as they continue the conversation, “Yeah I did, I actually have my own business, a metal shop where I can make anything I want. That knife I made for Mya for her birthday earlier this year.”

Arya smiles again and he feels his heart rate increase dramatically, he’ll never get used to the sight of her smiling because of him, “That’s amazing, Gendry. Really. I loved that knife you made, I was going to search day and night to find one like it, that’s why I wanted to know where she got it from.”

Well that’s settled, the next thing he makes will be something special just for her and it brings him hope for the future.

“What about you? Any interesting hobbies outside of _curator_ Arya?”

She rubs her fingers across her chin pretending to think about his question for a moment before answering, “Well I mean I grew up with four brothers, so you can imagine the trouble I got into with them. I was always doing whatever they did, much to my mother’s displeasure. She always wanted me to be more proper like Sansa. Maybe that’s why I started this whole dating ordeal in the first place, just to please her even a little.”

They’ve reached the end of the carnival now, nearest to the parking lot, so without really thinking about it, they turn back and start walking the way they just came from, “Have you told her about how bloody awful they’ve been?” He can’t help but to laugh and she soon joins him.

“I’ve told her enough, she’s just happy I’m trying. What I really think is that she just wants more grandkids, I think she had a similar conversation with Sansa the other day about her dating life, so maybe she’s taking some of the heat.”

He stops just as they reach the sets of games, standing just in front of the bottled ring toss, “What do you say, Stark? Think you got what it takes?”

She takes a step closer to him, about as close as they were earlier before Millie’s scream interrupted, and he feels his throat constrict at the closeness, his body humming in anticipation, “I don’t think you can handle what I have, Baratheon.”

Gods, she’s perfect. He’s in so much fucking trouble.

He moves even closer to her, forcing her to tilt her head back so she can still keep his gaze, “Is that a challenge, milady?”

She keeps her eyes locked on his while stabbing her finger directly into his chest, and although he can barley feel it through how thick his hoodie is, it causes his body to react accordingly, heat falling from his head to his feet, “Don’t call me that.”

Her grey eyes remain calm and playful, but her tone is dead serious which causes him to laugh lightly before turning to the attendant, handing him enough cash for each of them to play one round.

“You won’t cry, right?” She asks with a certain mischievous glint in her eye.

“No promises.”

She laughs before tossing each ring, all three landing around a bottle, earning her one of the larger prizes to which she picks out a large stuffed bear for her niece to add to the mountain of others she has in her bedroom.

“Ha!” She waves the bear in the air, bragging about her victory, “Let’s see you top that.”

He misses the first one, but lands both of the others, earning him a medium size prize, “Pick your poison.” He waves his hands in the air at the choice of prizes for Arya to choose from.

Arya smirks at him, “You mean for Lizzie, right?”

I meant for _you_.

“Uh, yeah. What would she like?”

He runs a hand through his dark hair, feeling it fall freely from the loss of contact with his fingers. He wanted to get something for her, but he supposes that she just couldn’t see the gesture and assumed the stuffed toy would be for his niece.

She picks out a small stuffed frog before they make their way towards the next game, a large tent set up for electronic machines for basketball with a timer and a scoreboard and a wider variety of prizes.

Gendry laughs as he takes off his hoodie in preparation to get comfortable enough to be able to throw the basketballs with ease. Along with the rising of his hoodie over his head, his shirt also rises a little with it revealing his abs and he doesn’t miss the way Arya’s eyes linger and she bites her bottom lip absentmindedly. Gods, he wishes he could bite it for her.

He sets it down on the counter along with the prizes they’ve already won as he hands the attendant enough money for them to play, “Ready to get your ass kicked, Stark?”

She grabs a ball and swings her hips to the side dramatically, “Are you?”

He laughs as the timer begins and they start the game. He keeps his focus on the task at hand, as he continually picks and throws the balls in the basket, momentum never faltering along with the fast pace of the woman next to him. His arms are feeling heavier than ever and the timer finally dings loudly, indicating the end of the game, with a score for Arya of forty-eight points and him a score of fifty-two.

“Not bad, you know for a bartender slash blacksmith.” Arya gives him a sweet smile while tilting her head to the side, almost sizing him up and suddenly his body is warming up despite the cool breeze blowing between them.

He keeps his eyes focused on Arya’s while the attendant tells him to pick out what prize he wants, this time he’s determined to have Arya leave here with something for herself.

“You should get something for yourself, like a souvenir of your night out.” _With me_.

Arya’s eyes twinkle under his gaze and he can’t help but to sport a goofy grin as he watches her pick out a shaded variety of colors of blue silicone beaded bracelet from small bucket of miscellaneous prizes and toys.

“Favorite color?” It’s a generic question relating to her choice, but in reality, he just wants to know more about her, and it seems like a good enough place to start.

They start walking again and he watches as she plays with the bracelet on her wrist, “Actually red is, but I’ve been favoring more towards blue shades lately,” she says nonchalantly.

“Why’s that?”

“No, reason.” She speaks casually but he can hear the playful undertone behind her words as if she does have a reason, just one that he’s not yet privy too. He thinks perhaps, _he’s_ her reason.

They walk slowly while keeping pace with each other, not letting the other fall behind or up ahead too much, “What about you? Do _you_ have a favorite color, Gendry Baratheon?” She’s teasing him but he doesn’t care as long as she stays right by his side.

He sighs underneath a shy smile, “I do now.”

She bumps her shoulder into his arm as they reach the long array of food stands, “Well what is it?”

He stops then and turns to face her, his face turning more serious as he stares back into her large beautiful eyes, “Grey.”

_This is it_ he thinks, another perfect opportunity to continue their moment that was stopped abruptly earlier in the evening. If only her stomach hadn’t growled very loudly causing them to both laugh out loud with her trying to cover her mouth to stifle both the laugh and the embarrassment it caused.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah, I hadn’t eaten anything since we got here.” She turns to check out all of the choices before turning back to him. He could use the sustenance as well.

“Come on, let’s get you fed before you started getting hangry and throwing things at me. At least there’s no whiskey bottles around, my ego might not recover from a blow like that.”

“Please, I wouldn’t waste a good whiskey on you.”

His brain is telling him not to say it, but his mouth doesn’t like to listen to rationality, “Why? So, you can get me drunk instead so you can take _advantage_ of poor old bartender slash blacksmith Gendry?”

He holds his hands to his chest and pouts his lips like a toddler, expecting her to hit him or call him stupid, but she does no such thing.

In all seriousness she speaks only to him, “Maybe.”

Shit, he didn’t expect that.

Before he can respond they’re next in line to place their orders, shutting down any retort he had and after ordering burgers and nachos, Arya beats him to paying for their food before he can, insisting it’s her turn and that he’s done so much for her already. Little does she know, there’s probably nothing now that he wouldn’t do for Arya Stark.

They find an empty table easy enough and soon dig in, neither needing to speak during their meal.

After they’re finished, he watches as Arya leans back and stretches her arms out in front of her before throwing her napkin down into the emptied nacho basket, “That was so good.”

She rests her arms against the table as her eyes wander to their surroundings, “Do you like funnel cakes?”

He narrows his eyes at her before pushing his own empty basket away, “Why do I get the feeling that if I answer no to that question, it’s going to have severe consequences?”

She laughs, “Because I can’t be friends with anybody that doesn’t.”

He keeps his eyes narrowed and she laughs in earnest, “I’m only kidding, just wondering if you wanted to share one? But if you don’t that’s cool, more for me.”

She jumps up from the table and heads toward the funnel cake stand, which luckily only has one other person in line, “I’ll share, but you have to get extra powdered sugar, it’s always better with extra.”

They move up behind the person that just got their own and left and as Arya opens her mouth to order, “Can I get…” he shuts her up by placing a hand lightly over her mouth stopping the sentence from finishing, “One funnel cake with extra sugar, please.”

He keeps his hand in place as she scowls at him from under his touch, while pulling out his wallet and paying before she can utter another word in protest

As soon as the money is handed off, he removes his hand from her lips, already missing the feeling of touching her mouth, “It was my turn and I didn’t want to hear you argue.”

She stomps a foot on the ground and folds her arms over her chest while raising an eyebrow at him, “I wasn’t going to argue.”

As soon at the lady running the food truck hands him the funnel cake on a paper plate, Arya snatches it out of his hands and begins to walk away, “Hey, half of that is mine, remember!”

“I remember, I just wanted first dibs.”

They get through most of it while standing, too engrossed by how good it is to bother taking the time to sit down. With only a few pieces remaining, and an abundance of extra powder, he watches as Arya leans into the plate and sniffs lightly while closing her eyes, “Mhmm, doesn’t it smell so good?”

She opens her eyes to hold the plate closer to his face so he can reveal in the scent with her and just as he leans down to mirror her stance, she blows a puff of air lightly into the plate, causing white powder to cover his face, forcing him to close his eyes so that it doesn’t get in them.

He hears her laugh loudly at the way he looks with white sugar all over his face, and probably stuck in his stubble, “Oh, you are so dead, Stark!”

He runs a hand over his face to wipe away most, knowing he missed some spots as he grabs the plate from her hand and throws it into the trash can adjacent to them.

“Ahhh!!” She screams loudly, not caring about the attention it causes, as she takes off running in the opposite direction of all the carnival goers, him close behind, chasing her around the empty grassy area nearest to the parking lot. As he runs after her, all he can think about is how beautiful and carefree she is, laughing in the dark as he nears her and then she ducks and takes off to the other side where he tried to grab her.

He’s finally able to close the distance as he crouches down to grab her by the waist, pulling her back into his chest and throwing her up in the air and spinning her around as she kicks her legs playfully while laughing so hard, that her body shakes on top of him and it’s a kind of euphoric happiness he never, ever wants to let go of.

If he thought his feelings for Arya were that of a measly growing crush, he’s now able to conclude that he’s fallen harder for her than anyone in his entire life. And by the look in her eyes as he sets her on the ground, and she spins around to face him while still tucked away in his arms, he’s starting to believe maybe he’s not the only one, and that maybe, just maybe she’s fallen for him too.

When she realizes he’s been staring for a little too long, she gives him a wide grin, but his attention is soon diverted by her sisters walking towards them and she turns to see what caught his eye as she removes herself slowly from his embrace.

Millie is fast asleep in her aunt Sansa’s arms, her mother looking content but very tired walking next to them, “I think it’s time to get the little one in bed, are you ready to go, Ar?”

He sees Mya and Lizzie walking not too far behind and he turns to Arya as she begins to leave with her family, “Are you working this weekend?”

“I sure am,” he says as she begins to walk away, walking backwards so she can still talk to him while pointing her index finger in his direction, “Good, because I’m coming to collect my scotch and you owe me a bouquet of flowers, Baratheon!” She yells as she disappears into the darken night and he can’t help but to smile as his sister walks up to stand beside him. He never takes his eyes away from Arya, even after she’s gone from his sight.

“What’s got you all happy? It’s weird and you have crap on your face.” Mya laughs at her brother, but Gendry is not affected in the slightest.

“I’m gonna marry that girl one day.”

They both laugh as Lizzie claps excitedly to that little bit of news, he supposes his sister believes it’s just hope that his feelings are reciprocated, but it’s something he’s honestly never been surer of.

***

The rest of the week goes by excruciatingly slowly for Gendry, so by the time Friday rolls around, his insides are buzzing with anticipation of seeing Arya again, after everything that happened on their night at the carnival.

He’s scrubbing down the bar when she walks in, and his heart drops into his stomach when he sees that’s she not alone.

Next to her with his hand on her lower back, is none other than Aegon fucking Targaryen. Fucking hell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *goes to hide in a bubble bath*


	7. Why Are You Looking, Down All The Wrong Roads?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She leans against the wall beside the door and folds her hands together behind her back as he huffs and mirrors the stance she had when he first saw her out there, “What a fucking idiot, what do you see in that bloke anyway?”
> 
> She tries to keep her face neutral, to keep from smiling. If she smiles, she gives herself away instantly, “What’s it matter to you, anyway?”
> 
> Apparently, the ground is more interesting than she is tonight, “He’s not good enough for you. No one is, except...”
> 
> Her heart rate increases tenfold at that, and he’s making it hard for her to breath, “Except who, Gendry?”
> 
> I HIGHLY recommend listing to "I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You" By Marc Cohn before reading this chapter. (It's on YouTube, and not Spotify)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had parts of this chapter written since the very beginning and even before I started, so yeah. Enjoy.

He’s scrubbing down the bar when she walks in, and his heart drops into his stomach when he sees that’s she not alone.

Next to her with his hand on her lower back, is none other than Aegon fucking Targaryen. Fucking hell.

He knows he has no right to be jealous, hell he doesn’t have any rights at all when it comes to Arya Stark, but it still hurts nonetheless, especially after their night away from the pub together. Bold of him to assume anything that conspired between the two of them that night would lead to something more, but he couldn’t help but to have hope that she was done with dating and might have wanted to be with him, the same way he’s longed to be with her, but he guesses he was wrong after all.

Even though he caught sight of her as soon as she stepped in the door, it’s hard for him not too when she lights up his fucking world with every move she makes, he pretends he didn’t and keeps scrubbing away, letting out his frustrations with every stroke of the soapy bar towel across the counter top.

From the corner of his eye, he sees her approach, Aegon still right by her side, with a small grin, but he continues to ignore the both of them, knowing his face will betray any façade he manages to make in feigning that her being here with another man doesn’t pain him physically and emotionally and everything in between.

“Hi,” she says breathlessly with a bright smile. He looks up and keeps his face passive, putting on his usual professional demeanor, “What can I get for you?”

His lips remain in a thin line as he waits for her answer and he sees her face drop in disappointment dramatically, although he doesn’t understand why, she is on a bloody date after all, it shouldn’t be _his_ feelings she’s worried about.

It’s then he takes the momentary opportunity to take a good look at her, hair up in a messy bun, black turtleneck ballerina style dress and leather jacket with the perfect smoky eye make up to make her grey eyes even bigger and fuck it makes this all the more painful. And she’s even wearing the blue silicone bracelet he won for her at the carnival. Fucking perfect.

He’d be lying to himself if he said Arya didn’t have an impact on his own wardrobe choice for the night, choosing a grey sweatshirt that matches her eye color, and now he just feels stupid about the whole thing.

Aegon speaks up before Arya has the chance, “Nothing for me right now, mate, thanks.”

“My usual I suppose.”

Gendry busies himself with pouring Arya her glass of wine, his heart dropping once more when he remembers the flowers and the gift, he made for her under the bar next to their stash of red wine.

_Guess I’ll just drop the by her work as a secret admirer on Monday_, he thinks to himself as he pushes the tiny box to the side to grab the bottle he needs. Or maybe he could be a good friend and sign Aegon’s name to it and let her think they’re from him, earn him a second date if she seems happy enough with the first one. Bloody prick would probably take all the credit too.

It’s not that he knows Aegon personally, or even has a problem with him, but he’s seen enough in the tabloids to know that Arya could do a hell of a lot better than the rich family dynasty playboy. And if she asks, like she usually does, he’ll tell her as much and attempt to bite his tongue from saying too many awful things about her choice of a date tonight, or any night for that matter.

“Is a table by the door alright?” Aegon asks Arya quietly as Gendry slides her wine to her, keeping his eyes on anything but her sparkling grey ones.

“Yeah, sure.” Arya says with a sad smile and he watches her walk away, taking a chance to look at her, but soon adverts his eyes quickly when blue meets grey.

He can’t help but to find his wandering gaze over at their table throughout their time together and watch as she laughs into her glass at something he said, causing him to tighten his grip around the bottle of bourbon in his hand he just used to pour drinks to customers that thankfully haven’t notice his now deep broody demeanor.

He knows Arya will be back over at the bar as soon as her glass is empty and he prepares himself for having to speak to her alone, not knowing what his face and the betrayal he feels from her will give away. But did she really betray him in the way that he feels, in the way that matters?

Maybe his feelings are just too strong now to remain partial to Arya dating in his pub, he’s in too deep and he knows he won’t be able to handle it like the way he used to, with a forced smile and a few words about how wrong her date is for her. Now he just can’t bear it at all.

He can’t quit his job, but he can’t exactly sit here and watch the girl he just very well might be in love with date other people. The only thing he can think of to do, without hurting her and pushing her away, is ask for a shift change from Davos. At least then, he can credit his no longer being able to chime in his opinion on her dates as such.

He's pouring more drinks from tabs the waitress brings him when she joins him at the bar, sitting in her usual stool and looking just as beautiful as ever, and his heart starts thumping in his chest so loudly it’s practically the only thing he can hear.

“So, what’s the deal, Baratheon? Do you not like Aegon or something, bad blood between you two? I mean I know he’s rich and famous and all that but he’s still a pretty nice guy. We actually go…”

He doesn’t let her finish, “I don’t even know him, so I can’t say too much to his character, but I guess you like him enough.” He keeps his voice as nonchalant as possible, to which he’s surprised he can even manage at this point.

He keeps his eyes focused on what he’s doing, not daring for a moment to see her reaction, until he abruptly changes the subject when he asks her if she’d like another drink, to which she agrees politely, keeping the conversation they were just about to have as non-existent just as he wants.

“So, you and a Targaryen? Doesn’t seem like a good fit to me.” Again, he dares not to look her way.

“And what looks like a good fit for me, Gendry?” In his peripheral he can see her rest her face into the palm of her hand while her other hand gently caresses her glass.

Whatever reply he thought she would have, he wasn’t expecting it to be that, “I… I don’t know, I just think maybe you’re looking down the wrong road on this, on this whole dating thing, that’s all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks curiously, now more attentive to the turn in conversation that he squashes immediately, not wanting to rub salt in the now open wound in his heart. 

He looks down sadly not meeting her gaze, no matter how defiantly she holds his, wanting him too, “Nothing, enjoy your date, Arya.”

She narrows her eyes at him and keeps her lip tucked away as she gets up from her bar stool, but he can’t let her walk away just yet, he can’t in good conscious let anyone else take credit for his gift, the flowers maybe, but not the gift, “Wait.”

She turns back around to face him as he reaches under the bar and pulls out the small box waiting for her, “Here, this is for you.”

He slides the box holding the pocketknife he made special for her across the bar before throwing the bar towel over his shoulder and walking away. He doesn’t want to risk hearing her reject such a gift or even worse, her date noticing and saying something to him about it. So, without further question, he turns away from her and walks straight into the kitchen without turning back around, even when he hears her calling out for him, his name a mere whisper in the crowd.

***

This is not how she planned for this night to go, and Gendry pushing her away has her pissed, until she realized the reason _why_. He actually thinks she’s on a date with Aegon Targaryen and he’s clearly not happy about it. Fine, he can assume all he wants, but him coming up short with her is not something she’s willing to accept.

She’s agonized for days over what she was going to wear when she saw him next, hellbent and determined to leave the pub tonight with a date with Gendry, and if she had to have the balls to do it because he wouldn’t step up himself, then so be it. She’s done casually dating around and pretending as if she doesn’t want him. She does, more than anything and after the carnival, she knows he wants her just as much.

His ill feelings toward the man he doesn’t know but believes she’s on a date with tonight proves exactly that.

She had planned on coming here alone tonight, to prove to Gendry that she wanted to see him and not need a date or another reason to be there other than that fact alone. But then she ran into Aegon in the parking lot upon arriving and she hadn’t seen him since high school and he was so excited for the chance to catch up with her while waiting for his girlfriend to arrive, that he wanted her to meet, that she just couldn’t say no. She could spare a few minutes with an old friend and still make time to spend time with Gendry at the bar while he worked, until they walked in together and he assumed what ironically, was exactly as it seemed.

She must have really unintentionally hurt him because he can’t even fucking look at her and it breaks her heart, but she’ll be damned if she leaves here tonight with the both of them nursing broken hearts.

She holds the small box in her hand and watches him retreat to the safe confines of the kitchen, eager to get as far away from her as possible.

She walks slowly back to the table where Aegon waits and sees him finishing up what appears to be a frantic phone call, “I’m sorry Arya, but that was my girlfriend, apparently her car broke down when she was leaving work. I have to go pick her up.”

“Oh, that’s alright. Here, I’ll walk you out.”

She grabs her jacket and pockets the box, waiting until she’s alone to open it.

They head outside and stop just beside his car in the parking lot, “I was really looking forward to catching up and for you two to meet, maybe some other time, yeah?”

She gives him a genuine smile, “Yeah, I’d like that. Drive safe.”

Once he’s in his car and pulling out of the small lot she removes the box from her jacket and with a heavy heart, she opens it to reveal the most beautiful pocketknife she’s ever seen. It’s similarly looking to the one he made for Mya, except it has subtle differences, small butterflies carved into the blade and her initials, ALS, as well, wondering how the hell he could possibly know what her middle name was? He made it special for her and she feels tears prickle behind her grey eyes, never minding the cold outside, making them sting just a little bit as a single drop falls down her cold and red cheek.

She slides it back into its place in the box before pocketing it once again and walking back inside, only to find Podrick behind the bar and not Gendry, which she doesn’t dwell on, knowing she’ll find out the reason he’s working tonight soon enough. Right now, she just really needs to find Gendry, to explain things before she inadvertently hurts him even more than she already has.

“Hey, Pod, where’d Gendry run off too?” She remains standing, ready to get to him as soon as she locates the stubborn bastard.

He gives her a knowing smile, “Not sure. He actually looked really upset and said he needed a minute, he’s probably out back.”

She points to the employee only kitchen door, wanting permission so she doesn’t get kicked out for doing something stupid, although if it meant finding Gendry, she’d be perfectly okay with that, “May I?”

Pod smiles warmly at her, “Sure, love. Doors on the other side of the kitchen.”

Arya thanks him before seeking out Gendry, following in the direction he’s given her. She pushes the doors to the kitchen open and stops when she spots Thoros in the office, giving her a giant smile through the window while pointing to his left. She follows his eyes to the exit sign above the door to the back alley.

Arya gives him a small wave in return and tries to slow her erratic heartbeat pulsating in her ears and when the hells did her hands get so sweaty. _Get it together for fuck’s sake, it’s just Gendry_, she thinks to herself as she stops just before the door, hand on the knob ready to push it open to him at any second, just as soon as she gets a hold of herself. Fuck, she’s a mess right now.

With a deep, yet very unsteady breath, she pushes the door open and finds him leaning against the wall opposite her with his eyes closed, assuming it’s Podrick or Thoros when he speaks, “I told you I needed a minute.”

The door closes loudly behind her and she stands there with her arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her lips, “Oh, I think you need a little more than a minute.”

She laughs lightly as his eyes open wide in shock and he leans up from the wall, confusion clear on his face, “Arya? What are you doing out here, aren’t you on a date?”

He slumps his shoulders as he leans back against the wall in defeat, eyes still on hers. She’s not gonna make this easy for him, she’s going to make sure he lets her know exactly why he’s so unhappy tonight, “He ditched me.”

She leans against the wall beside the door and folds her hands together behind her back as he huffs and mirrors the stance she had when he first saw her out there, “What a fucking idiot, what do you see in that bloke anyway?”

She tries to keep her face neutral, to keep from smiling. If she smiles, she gives herself away instantly, “What’s it matter to you, anyway?”

Apparently, the ground is more interesting than she is tonight, “He’s not good enough for you. No one is, except...”

Her heart rate increases tenfold at that, and he’s making it hard for her to breath, “Except who, Gendry?”

She feels the tension snap like a twig as he pushes himself off the wall to bridge some of the distance the alley has created between them, blue eyes locked on grey and she can see the love and irritation radiating in them back at her. She doesn’t breathe, she can’t.

“Me, Arya! None of these guys you bring in here could even begin to realize what an incredible person you are, but I do. I know how beautiful and smart and funny you are and they’re idiots if they don’t see that.”

Yeah, who needs oxygen anyway. She only stares back at him, to perplexed to move a muscle and she can feel the built resentment he’s had for all of her failed dates this whole time roll off him like a weight he’s been carrying for months is no longer a burden. 

“I mean, I get why you take the time to actually date, to find that chance to fall in love, I guess it doesn’t work the same for everyone, right? Falling in love? You’re supposed to get to know the person first, know who they really are.”

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck nervously, “I mean it’s crazy right, love doesn’t happen that way, the way I think it did for me. It doesn’t happen when you’re on some grimy floor picking up shards of glass that you broke thinking about your shitty father, only to look up and see the most beautiful pair of grey eyes you’ve ever seen in your life.”

He drops his hand.

“It doesn’t happen when the absolute cunt who’s lucky enough to be on a date with her fucks it up by feeling incompetent during a game of darts and takes in out on her by being a dick to a girl that’s clearly out of his league that makes you want to punch him in his pretty boy face.”

“It surely doesn’t happen when you watch her go on a date with your best mate and then other blokes who could never be good enough and give her the love she deserves. I mean, it just doesn’t happen like that, who was I kidding?” He laughs and closes his eyes again as he stands there in front of her and gods, she really does love him doesn’t she.

“Gendry?” She leans off the door and smirks as he opens his eyes, “What?”

“Are you done?”

She doesn’t give him the chance to respond because just looking at him standing there professing his love is enough to make her weak in the knees and she needs to feel his body against hers as soon as possible.

And she does just that as she steps forward and grabs him by the back of his head, pulling him down to her level to crash her lips feverishly against his own. She can feel his confusion at her action only for a moment before his lips react to hers and his hands that were danglingly in the air, wrap around her small frame pulling her flush to him as her hands rake through his soft hair, and gods she could be content staying like this forever.

She needs more, not ever being able to get enough from him. She bites his bottom lip, earning a low growl to escape his mouth and into hers and he responds appropriately by pushing his body into hers against the wall next to the door, and gods does his taste like heaven.

She jumps lightly and wraps her legs around his waist as he pins her flush between the wall and his body, his erection straining in his jeans that matches the wetness pooling within the fabric underneath the skirt of his dress.

His mouth trails from her lips down to her pulse point, sucking lightly before paving wet, thick kisses down her neck that are sure to leave a mark, and she couldn’t care less. It enthralls her more than anything to know he wants to mark her as his own and she obliges all too easily.

She removes her hands from the hold they have in his hair to touch and feel every surface she can reach, starting from his cheeks down to the firm muscles of his chest through his shirt as the door swings open and Thoros pokes his head out to stare at them accusingly.

With her legs still tangled around him, she smiles shyly as Gendry lowers his head to rest on her shoulder in defeat before turning to smile at his boss, neither Gendry nor Arya moving their positions.

“Do you need something, Myr?”

Arya laughs as Thoros looks offended at the use of his surname, “Mate, I pay you to pour the customers _drinks_, not _make out_ with them.”

Gendry smiles at Arya before responding humorously, “You don’t pay me, mate. Davos does.”

The big man laughs, “Whatever, details don’t matter, just get back in there and help Payne out, yeah?”

He ducks his head back out from behind the door, “Oh, and it’s about bloody time!”

He closes the door, leaving them alone in the cold with the now new tension as palpable as ever, his voice whispering against her neck mixed with his hot breath causing a shiver to run through her entire body, “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that, Stark.”

“I think I can imagine.” She bites her bottom lip again and watches his eyes dilate with lust at the action.

She removes her body from his and attempts to regain a semblance of balance on solid ground, head swimming with lust and love that mirrors his own.

She kisses his lips quickly and softly, “Come on, let’s get you back in there before I get you fired.”

“If it means continuing what we just started, I’m perfectly okay with that.”

She shakes her head and laughs as she grabs his hand, leading him back inside, “I’m not going anywhere, stupid.”

***

She loves this feeling, the feeling of a perfect balance her life has taken on now that the pining for her favorite bartender is over, and reciprocated.

Arya smiles at the bar while playing with her blue bracelet as Gendry continues to do his job, stopping every few minutes when he can to acknowledge her, or hold her hand, or anything really to let her know how happy he is.

“I can’t believe you thought I was on a date with Aegon Targaryen.” She laughs and the look he gives her that says, _you’re kidding me right_, shuts her up immediately.

“Okay, fine, I guess us walking in like that didn’t look good, but I didn’t get dressed up and come all the way out here for him, you idiot. I came here to see you.”

The rush has died down substantially so they take the moment to clear a little bit more of the confusion clouding them this night, “I just ran into him in the parking lot and he wanted to catch up and for me to meet his girlfriend, that’s why he wanted a table by the door. But then her car broke down and he had to go pick her up.”

She doesn’t think he listened to the second half of her explanation at all, “Wait, you came here to see me?”

She throws her head back in laughter, “Well yeah, did you actually think I was going to go on more dates after that night we had?”

“Would it be inappropriate for the bartender to kiss a customer right now?” He leans in and gives her a charming grin.

She helps close the distance by standing slightly on the stool’s frame to be able to reach him, “Probably, but if it’s me, then you should anyway.”

He smiles on her mouth as their lips meet for a soft, yet tantalizing kiss, “It’s always going to be you, Arya.”

“Oi, what did I say about making out with the customers!” Thoros joins Gendry at the bar as Arya rolls her eyes and sits back down in her seat.

If it seems like a necessary enough action to warrant berating, she can’t tell by the way Thoros’ mood shifts to a change of subject, “Did he give you that bloody knife yet? He hasn’t stopped talking about it all week.”

She smiles and reaches into her pocket for the box, “You mean this one? I love it, it’s beautiful, Gendry.”

Gendry smiles at her while Thoros feigns disappointment while pouting, “You never make me anything special, mate.”

Gendry turns to him and lays a gentle hand on his shoulder, “That’s because I’m not romantically attracted to you, mate. And I probably never will be if you keep calling me a shit head every two fucking seconds.”

“Well that’s because you are a shit head. Especially for not telling this beautiful lady how you felt sooner than today, blooding annoying watching you mope around here all the time.”

She keeps her eyes on Gendry’s and watches as he blushes at Thoros’ comment, causing her to smile devilishly back at him when he meets her intense gaze.

“Hey, how did you know my middle name anyway? I don’t remember ever telling you what it was.”

There’s that blush again, “Oh, well I called Mya who got your sister-in-law’s number at the carnival so they could set up play dates for the girls and had her ask for me. I told them what I was doing for you.”

“There’s also flowers under here since you said I owed you a new bouquet.”

“I’m glad we got our shit straightened out tonight, wouldn’t want another thing of flowers to go to waste and die in your kitchen.”

“Good thing, indeed.”

They hold each other’s eyes and she feels that familiar heat rising to her core again, much the same as it did outside when they kissed, which is soon broken by eager customers demanding the bar keep’s attention.

Once things slow down again, it’s Podrick that takes the time to greet them behind the bar, “I heard about your tryst out back, bout fucking time, mate.”

He ignores the jab for something far more important that Podrick’s teasing, “I’m going to need to cash in on that shift change favor you owe me. And it needs to be tomorrow night so I can take Arya Lyanna Stark on a date.”

Now it’s her turn to blush and she doesn’t even try to hide it as Pod addresses his request, “So, you’re telling me you’re going to close the bar tonight, get almost no sleep and then turn around and open the pub tomorrow so that you can take her on a date?”

Pod can’t help the grin as Gendry smiles at Arya, “Yes. Yes, I am.”

And she can’t help but to make him squirm a little, it’s just too much fun for her, “And what if I already had plans tomorrow night, Baratheon?”

She watches his face drop suddenly, wheels turning in his head, mind running a mile a minute, “Oh, right, uhhh, sorry, I…”

She laughs loudly causing a few side eyes her way, “I’m just fucking with you, of course I’ll go out with you.”

He gives her the same exact look he did the other night when she led him to believe that Millie was her daughter, which causes her to laugh even harder.

Gendry yells back at Podrick who’s now walking away from the bar, “Mate, on second thought…”

Arya’s jaw drops in feigned surprise at his teasing, earning her a light kiss on her lips before he walks away to tend to other customers, leaving her alone at the bar with her feelings and the little butterflies bouncing around in her belly.

He stays busy for the next couple of hours and she’s perfectly content with just watching him work, happy to be in his presence with their feelings now out in the open, almost. He pretty much told her he’s in love with her during his inner turmoil monologue outside and she stills needs confirmation that it holds true, but she can’t get that here, not right now with so many people around. She’s staying until closing time, and after everyone is gone, she’ll get the answers she seeks and hopefully so much more.

So why, when the time comes and the last customer has left the building, is she suddenly so nervous?

Thoros bids Gendry a final farewell as him and Podrick walk out together, leaving the two of them alone to lock up, which Gendry doesn’t seem to be in the mood to rush, not that she’s complaining about it.

She is surprised, however, that he walks over to the jukebox and starts playing a soft love song after his duties are done for the night and the last chair is hung.

She sways slowly back and forth to the soft rhythm of the music, letting it flood all of her senses and take full control, “_Well I hope that I don’t fall in love with you. ‘Cause falling in love just makes me blue. Well the music plays and you display your heart for me to see. I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me_. _And I hope that I don’t fall in love with you_.”

He’s standing in the middle of the empty floor as the music surrounds them, holding out his hand for her to take and she doesn’t hesitate in taking it, letting him hold her close.

His arms are wrapped her waist while hers rest on his shoulders, her hands clasped together in the air behind his head as they find a compatible motion of moving with the music, foreheads resting softly against each other.

Keeping her eyes closed, she feels his right arm come up to gently rub her own with his calloused warm hand, leaving kisses on her bare skin.

She swallows the lump in her throat, “Do you love me?”

She hears him sigh, his breath tickling her face, “I think I might.”

He pauses before rethinking his answer, “No wait, yeah, I really do.”

She grabs each side of his face, forcing his eyes to meet hers, “Good, because I think I might love you too.”

Arya’ lips find his and their kiss soon turns into unrelenting passion in the empty bar, her moaning into his mouth as his hands find her ass and pull her closer to him. “Gods, Arya. You’re making it really hard for me to not rip off that dress and fuck you on that bar top right now.”

“We have time for that later, maybe on the second date.” She winks at him before bringing his lips back down to hers, neither wanting to relinquish control or let go of the other.

They break the kiss but keep their embrace as they continue to dance on the hardwood floor, “So, I know it’s a few weeks too late, but can I get your number?”

She laughs inside the crook of his neck before resting her head on his shoulder, “How did you ever get any girl to date you, you’re kind of bad at this.”

The only thing he can manage to respond to is the yawn that escapes her mouth, “Come on, we both need sleep. I need my beauty rest for my hot date tomorrow night.”

She giggles as he grabs their stuff, locking up the pub and then walking her to her car. She inserts her phone number into his contact list and tells him to text her so she can send him her address for their date.

Despite the chill in the late-night air, she’s warming up the longer she stays wrapped in his arms beside her car, the night ending far too soon and the next night not coming soon enough.

She pulls away and gives him a tender goodnight kiss before opening up her car door, “Goodnight, Gendry.”

She smiles as she ducks her head to climb inside but is instead pulled back up to his level for another toe curling, leave you wanting more, makes your skin crawl in the best way possible kiss, “Goodnight, Stark.”

Fuck that was hot and damn him for doing that to her and then leaving, but her irritation never falters the goofy grin plastered on her face all the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, Arya is done with her dates, yay! Gendrya until the end. ♥


	8. When Mine Is The Heart And The Salt Of The Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of the corner of his eye he sees her shrug her shoulders nonchalantly, “It’s a shame though, this lipstick is no smudge, so I guess I’ll just have to mark you tonight in other ways.”
> 
> And with that comment, he nearly drives his truck into a ditch, not finding it funny when Arya laughs at his reaction to her words, “Can you please wait until I’m not operating heavy machinery before you start talking like that? Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks. After watching her go on five dates, Gendry finally gets one of his own, among other things. ;)
> 
> Their first date and the chapter that earns it's rating. Enjoy.

Her body hurts, although in all the right ways, and it forces her to put more effort into the action of moving her aching muscles as she strains to keep up with her partners rigorous momentum.

Arya normally doesn’t do this, but after the night she had at the pub and not being able to sleep after getting home and thinking non-stop about the kiss Gendry left her with, she had to do _something_, anything really. Which is why she’s up at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning running through the park with her sister, who doesn’t seem to _ever_ slow down or break a sweat for that matter, her perfectly straight red hair pulled back high on her head and blowing softly in the cool autumn breeze.

All the while Arya’s hair looks like it lost a horrendous fight with a pigeon, the lot of it in a messy bun on the top of her head with strands flailing about, the shorter ones on the side framing her face in a mess of sticky sweat from the couple of miles they just ran. Well, that Sansa ran, she kept up enough with only minor complaints from her sister when she’d slow them both down. How her sister does this almost every day, she’ll never understand.

She stops as they reach a park bench and she’s struggling to catch her breath, her sister already ready for the next mile while Arya feels like she could collapse at any second.

Arya rests the palm of her hands on her knees and tries to control her breathing, staring down at her calf muscles that are now more pronounced than before underneath her capri leggings.

She looks up and smiles to see Sansa jogging in place a few feet from her, “Come on Sans, let’s just sit for a minute. I think I might die if we don’t.”

Sansa rolls her eyes but complies with the request all the same as the girls sit down and relax for a moment, reeling from their run in the crisp, morning air.

Arya never mentioned what she was doing up so early on her day off and her sister didn’t ask when she called her, but now she feels the need to tell her why and everything else that goes along with it, “I have a date with Gendry tonight.”

She takes the chance to turn her sister’s way, letting her right leg rest on the bench in the small space between them. Sansa only grins in return which causes Arya to narrow her eyes suspiciously at the red head.

Sansa laughs lightly breaking the quiet spell they were under, “I knew it had something to do with him. You _never_ want to get up this early on the weekend, much less go for a run with me, so I knew something was on your mind. And for the record, I’m glad it’s him. Now, spill.”

Arya smiles as her sister points adamantly her way and begins her story from where her Friday night began the night before, “I went to the Stag’s Head last night to see Gendry. I wanted to just hang out and be there with him and not be on some stupid date, you know? But as I was getting out of my car, I ran into Aegon in the parking lot and he wanted to catch up and for me to meet his girlfriend that was meeting him there. He was so nice about it and I hadn’t seen him in so long I just agreed without really thinking about the implications that would come of it.”

She looks down as Sansa sighs from her place next to her, “Let me guess, you walked inside together, and Gendry assumed you were on another date?”

Arya winces thinking about how he must have felt at seeing her and Aegon together, especially after their time at the carnival, all flirty and what not. It was probably the same way she would feel at seeing him with another woman, the way she felt seeing him with his ex that night.

“Yeah, and he basically just gave me the cold shoulder after that. It wasn’t until after Aegon had to leave because his girlfriend’s car broke down and I confronted him about it outside of the bar behind the kitchen that things… _changed_.” Her face lights up thinking about the kiss and the way he had her pressed against the wall and the…

“Well by the look on your face I’d say things certainly did change, and for the better.”

Sansa breaks her out of her lecherous thoughts, prompting her to continue her tale, “I let him think I was on a date and that Aegon just ditched me, just because he’s so cute when he gets jealous. He lost it Sans, he started rambling about how none of my dates are good enough for me except for him and it was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me and then he basically confessed his love for me and when he was done I just kissed him.”

Her sister smiles slightly, “Go on.”

“Well the kiss was _hot_, but we sort of got caught by his boss, who told him to get back to work after his nod of approval.”

“Anyway, I just stayed at the bar while he finished his shift and then he asked his mate to switch shifts with him today so he could take me out on a date tonight.”

Her heart has calmed down from the adrenaline and is now beating erratically for an entirely different reason other than the physical endurance, making her shiver in the cool air blowing between them.

“Oh, Arya, you have to let me come over and help you get ready! I can tell Gendry is definitely not going anywhere, so this is probably going to be your last first date for a while.”

Shit, she hadn’t thought about that. She has no doubt Gendry is going to be breaking her one date streak and will be sticking around. That thought is making her a little more nervous now, so she reluctantly agrees to Sansa’s proposal.

“Fine. I’ll let you know what time to come over just as soon as I know when he’s picking me up.”

Arya checks her phone, hoping to find a message from Gendry and is disappointed when she doesn’t, albeit not too much though since she knows he had a late night and then had to work today to make up for the switching of shifts for their date tonight. A thought that earns another smile to form on her now chapped lips.

Sansa taps her thigh lightly, regaining her attention.

“Come on, I’m supposed to meet Margaery and Loras for coffee to go over the plans for their next charity event, you can join us and tell them the good news. I’m sure Loras will be happy to know you’re not too upset over your date with him not working out.” Sansa bumps her shoulder playfully with her elbow as they stand up from the bench and head to the parking lot.

“Okay fine, but can we at least _walk_ back to the car?”

***

Without having the opportunity to straighten herself up enough to be somewhat presentably from her run with Sansa, Arya runs a hand through her messy hair before throwing it back in it’s signature bun as they walk into the coffee shop, eyeing Margaery and Loras already waiting for them, along with Renly Baratheon tucked closely to Loras’ side. They look happy together and it makes Arya smile to know that she’s somehow the cause of it, apart from Gendry of course. And shit she’s thinking about him again.

So much so, that she nearly trips over her own feet walking to the table to meet the others.

Renly stands up and catches her arm as she stumbles to sit down properly, her head swimming with blue eyes and strong hands, much like the ones holding her now. Renly, she’s noticed, is gorgeous in his own Baratheon way, but he’s got nothing on Gendry’s strong frame and wrinkly eyes.

“You alright there, love?” He smiles as they both sit down, all eyes on her and she can’t help but to spit out the reason behind her clumsiness, “I have a date with your nephew tonight.”

Renly and Sansa smile knowingly while Loras and Marg gasp in delighted surprise, “Ah, mystery solved. I’d trip over myself thinking about this one too.” He leans over to give Loras a quick kiss on his cheek before resting his arm on the backside of his and Marg’s chairs.

“I might be a little nervous, which is kind of stupid because as everyone here already knows, this isn’t the first date I’ve been on recently.”

Loras gives her a soft smile from across the table, “Yes, but it is the first one with someone you actually have feelings for.”

If she thought seeing Loras again after their date ended the way it did would be anything of awkward, she thought wrong. He seems to be right where he should be, and the same with Gendry’s uncle and herself, she supposes. Everything is working out the way it’s meant to.

She gives him a bright smile in return, his words nothing but the truth and as Sansa, Marg, and Loras engage in conversation about the charity event they’re planning, Renly seems to be more interested in Arya and Gendry’s plans for the evening.

“So, where are you kids going tonight?”

Arya sighs and leans back into her chair, “I honestly don’t know. After we uhh, got together last night, he asked me out and we parted ways. I haven’t heard from him today since he worked late and has a shift today.”

Before Renly has a chance to respond, her phone dings with a new text alert and her face lights up dramatically at seeing who it’s from.

“Well speak of the devil.” Renly says cheekily as she rolls her eyes and picks up her phone to read the message.

_If I have to have a reason to be up early on a Saturday, I’m glad it’s you. _

Arya feels the blush creep into her cheeks, his words affecting her deeply, but still she can’t help but to tease him just a little.

_Well I have the pleasure of the lovely company of a different Baratheon on this Saturday morning. _

His reply is instant and her heart soars.

_Ouch, replacing me already Stark? _

_Maybe…_

_Good luck stealing him away from Loras then, although I don’t see you trying as hard for his attention than you would for this blue-eyed, Baratheon. _ _😉 _

Arya laughs out loud, both at the response and the fact that her teasing didn’t work as well as she thought it would, of course he would know about his uncle’s new relationship.

_Please, I think your attention is already mine, stupid._

_That it is, love. That it is. _

Renly breaks the spell he has her under when his voice chimes in a little louder than the others, “You need to get him to tell you where you’re going, it’ll help you to decide what to wear, which I’m assuming Sansa is not going to let you get by without her help.”

“You’d be right.”

_So, where are you taking me tonight? Should I dress specifically for the occasion?_

_Whatever you’re comfortable in, no dress code. _

Arya smiles wickedly then, contemplating her brazen response.

_So only a silk robe and naked underneath? Got it. _She adds a thumbs up emoji at the end for emphasis and then laughs to herself as she sees the three little dots appear and then disappear again before his message finally comes through.

_We can’t go on a date tonight if you send me to the hospital before-hand. Ffs._

She smiles triumphantly to herself as Renly eyes her curiously, “I know that look, and I don’t want to know where that conversation is going.” He laughs before turning back to his boyfriend and their sisters, leaving Arya to engage in her texts with Gendry to herself.

_Speaking of hands, I can’t wait to have yours all over…._

She waits a moment before finishing her sentence, letting him revel in that one first.

_… my jacket, you know when you take it off and then pull my chair out for me like the gentleman you are of course. _

She holds her breath, waiting to see if her teasing worked as she bites her lower lip, bouncing in her chair lightly with anticipation.

_After last night, I know damn well that is not where you would prefer my hands to be in regard to your personal affairs, Miss Stark. Try again. _

Damn, he really did just call her out like that? But she can’t be mad or offended, because he’s not wrong.

Heat pools low in her belly, spreading vastly to other places and she crosses her legs subtly under the table to keep it from getting too uncomfortable, although her knee bumps Renly’s, which causes him to eye her suspiciously.

_Maybe we’ll find out tonight if you’re right or not. _

_Don’t tease me, Stark. And I’m holding you to that. Be ready by 7pm. Xxx_

Gods, tonight can’t get here fast enough.

***

Gendry smiles at his phone a bit longer that what’s deemed sane, staring at the exchange of words between him and Arya, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

His sister sets the tray of dirty dishes down on the bar with a loud thump, successfully breaking him out of his trance causing him to jump back and curse under his breath.

“What’s gotten into you today? Your heads been all over the place, little brother.”

He smiles once again as he pockets his phone and takes the tray from the bar top, “If you must know, _big sister_, I have a date tonight.”

“Oh, please tell me it’s with Arya, because I don’t know how much more of your pining I can take.”

Gendry laughs loudly, albeit sarcastically as he gives his sister a pointed look, “Yes. It’s with Arya and I don’t pine. I just yearn silently.”

Mya gives him, a _what did I just say look_, to which Gendry sighs in defeat, “Whatever. I’m nervous enough as it is so lay off. I want this date to go right, because I want to earn a _second_ date and it’s already bad enough that I don’t have anything suitable to wear and won’t have time to go shopping before my shift ends at six.”

Mya retreats with both hands in the air, “Hey I’m not knocking ya, I’m really happy for you Gen. Really. And you will get a second date, I’ve seen the way she looks at you, trust me.”

“I hope you’re right, because I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t.” Even after everything that’s happened with them, he still doubts himself because how could he not? Arya Stark is a force of nature, a beauty unlike others, so far out of his league, they aren’t even on the same planet. He’ll never understand what he did to deserve their date tonight in the first place.

As Mya stalks off, his phone buzzes with another text and then another soon after, this time from his uncle.

_You better treat her right tonight and every night, or I’m gonna kick your ass. This girl is so unbelievably happy for your date, you better not fuck it up. And I want to know all the details tomorrow. _

_Okay, maybe not all the details. _

He smiles before replying_. Duly noted, Ren. _

Gendry watches as Mya animatedly talks to Davos across the room while looking and smiling his way, probably telling him about his date tonight. Soon everyone will know, and while normally being the talk of the town is something he likes to avoid, this is something he doesn’t mind telling the entire world about.

He goes about his tasks, leaving them to their gossip while trying to focus on anything other than Arya Stark in a silk robe while naked underneath. Thankfully his sister shows up just in time to break him out of that thought before the rest of his body catches up to his brain. She’s smiling brightly, and creepily.

Gendry narrows his eyes at his beaming sister, “What do you want?”

“Davos is letting us off at four so we can get you something to wear for your date tonight, and it’s on him.” Her eyes twinkle with glee as she holds up a wad of cash.

“What?” He says bewildered.

“I told him about how excited you were for your date tonight and how you said you didn’t have anything suitable to wear so he offered to buy you a new suit. Said something about how you didn’t go to prom so he’s making up for it now and he’s hellbent on not taking no for an answer, so we’re going shopping later.”

Gendry shakes his head with a wide smile, because of course Davos would do something like this. Another person he’ll never know what he did to have the likes of them in his life. He feels like the luckiest man on the face of the Earth right now.

***

The day goes by in a blur, and Arya’s starting to freak out because Sansa is five minutes late from when she said she’d be over to help her get ready for her date.

She paces the floor of her living room while biting her nails, not caring if the paint breaks off, something her sister is sure to give her shit for later.

She’s just about to pick up her phone to call her when there’s a knock on the door, followed by her swinging it open, leaving Sansa’s clenched fist in the air with nothing to land on, “You’re late.”

“Five minutes, Ar, chill. We have plenty of time. Stop worrying and stop biting your nails!” Sansa smacks Arya’s hand away from her face and they both laugh, knowing it was coming.

“Come on, let’s get you ready. He’s not gonna know what hit him.” She grabs Arya by the hand and drags her down the hall to her bedroom and then plops herself down on the bed while Arya stands there with a perplexed look on her face, “Well where do we start?”

Sansa looks around her sister’s bedroom, everything in place and not one piece of clothing laid out, “Have you picked out an outfit, or can at least give me some options?”

Arya shakes her head as she joins Sansa where she sits, “No, I’ve kinda been too busy anxiety cleaning. Keeping my mind focused on anything but blue eyes and how much I don’t want to fuck this up tonight.”

She leans her head on Sansa’s shoulder and sighs, “He really means a lot to me, I need this to go well.”

“I know you do, and it will.” She gives Arya a quick kiss atop her head before walking over to her closet, “Now let’s see what we’ve got here.”

She watches anxiously as her sister pulls out a few different things, to which she replies with why it’s a bad choice. _I don’t look good in it_. Or a _I already wore that on a failed date; therefore, it’s tainted_.

Or a simple, _No, just no_.

“Come on Arya, there has to be something in here you can wear.” Sana’a digs a little more and then let’s out a small gasp at something she found in the back of Arya’s closet.

Arya’s eyes narrow at the two-piece dress ensemble Sansa reveals, trying to remember where and why she has it when it clicks in her mind, “Oh yeah, I wore that to a gala the museum hosted last year. I only wore it the one time and forgot about it really.”

Sansa’s eyes widen as she holds up the black and white bralette piece against the flowing black, white, and red matching skirt, Arya’s lips forming a wide smile as she realizes what is going through her sister’s mind.

“It’s perfect!” They say in unison before laughing hysterically and falling back on the bed.

After Arya showers, Sansa orders her sister to sit so she can fix her hair, opting for light messy waves that frame her face and then apply her makeup, a dark smoky eye look with red lipstick to match her dress.

With her hair and makeup done, Arya slides into both pieces of the dress easily before throwing on her favorite strappy heels, “So? What’s the verdict?”

“That he’s in an _idiot_ if he doesn’t think you look drop dead gorgeous tonight.”

_He’s already an idiot_, she thinks adoringly to herself.

She smiles shyly under her sister’s bright blue eyes, “Thanks, Sans.”

“I’ve got to get going, but text me after and tell me all about it. Or you know, tomorrow works too if it goes really well.” Sansa gives her a playful wink before she leaves, leaving the youngest Stark sister with nothing but her thoughts for the next ten minutes until her date arrives, if he’s not late that is.

_Extra deodorant couldn’t hurt_, she thinks to herself as she runs to her bathroom to freshen up a bit.

With five minutes until seven, she throws on her beige scarf and black peacoat, making sure her hair stays perfectly in place.

She snaps a quick selfie with the most exasperated look her face can manage, her lips in a small pout before texting the picture to her sister with a short caption. 

_Still nervous. Wish me luck! _

_You don’t need it love, but good luck! xo_

Arya smiles at the response before her heart plunges into her stomach at the sound of someone at her door, a short few knocks but just enough to kick all her senses out of whack at who’s behind it. She sighs as she straightens her dress and heads for the front door, and her future. 

***

Gendry shifts his weight comfortably on each foot as he fiddles with the suit jacket his sister helped him pick out just a few hours ago for his date with Arya. It’s a very nice, two piece all black with pants and the jacket to match. Mya told him to where a black shirt underneath to complete the look and if she’s satisfied with her creation enough, then that’s enough for him to know he looks presentable enough to be on a date with Arya Stark.

Before his mind can wander any further on anything else than where he is and what he’s doing, the door swings open and he’s met with the most beautiful sight he thinks he’s ever seen before in his life. 

He swallows the lump in his throat as he looks at her up in down, from her heels to the under layer of her dress peeking out from her black coat and scarf wrapped around her neck.

He thinks his staring might be getting a little creepy, so he’s relieved when she breaks the tension, “I thought you told me you don’t own a fancy suit, Baratheon?”

He chuckles as he continues to stand in her doorway, still gaping slightly, “Well there’s a first time for everything, Stark. Can’t make that bet anymore. You look… good. Nice.” He’s still nervous and he knows it shows as he rakes a hand through his hair.

He watches her smile softly, “Thanks. You too.”

He holds an arm out for her to take, “Shall we?” To which she takes easily with a bright smile, “We shall.”

With one arm in his, she grabs her bag off the table by the door and locks it behind them as he leads them down to his waiting truck, nerves calming with every step they take as she relaxes into his touch.

Once they get outside, he opens the door for her and grins as she rolls her eyes at the gesture, but lets him help her inside, nonetheless.

He starts the ignition and grabs the single red rose from the dashboard and hands it to her shyly as she narrows her eyes questioningly at him, “Just one?”

He smiles as he starts to drive, “Just one.”

He has his reasons for just one rose tonight and he’s hoping she’ll catch on to what he’s doing later, on her own rather than have him just explain it to her right away, and thankfully she accepts his response without further question as he drives them to their destination.

He knows it’s not like Arya to not pester him about where they’re going for their date and as he ultimately drives out of Storm’s End and heads for King’s Landing, his suspicions are deemed correct, “Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise, just relax. You’re in good _hands_, I promise.” He gives her a subtle, yet flirty wink before focusing on the road ahead and is surprised when she reaches across the middle console to take his empty hand in hers, intertwining their fingers together like that’s where they’re meant to be.

He tries to not focus too much on her hand holding his and the way his belly does that stupid bouncing thing whenever she’s around, instead broaching a subject he deems innocently enough, not knowing where it’ll lead, “I like the red.”

He feels her laugh lightly next to him, “The dress or the lips?”

“Both.” He smiles her way and she grins wickedly back at him.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees her shrug her shoulders nonchalantly, “It’s a shame though, this lipstick is no smudge, so I guess I’ll just have to mark you tonight in _other_ ways.”

And with that comment, he nearly drives his truck into a ditch, not finding it funny when Arya laughs at his reaction to her words, “Can you please wait until I’m not operating heavy machinery before you start talking like that? Fuck.”

She laughs and the remaining drive to King’s Landing remains in a comfortable silence. It’s only when he pulls off into the driveway of a very large house, does she question him again, “Are we here?”

“We are. Now don’t move.”

He jumps out of the driver’s seat and runs around to the other side to open her door again for her and help her out. When she’s out and standing beside him with the door closed, he pushes her gently back against it and crashes his lips against hers in a searing kiss. He breaks his lips from hers to rest his forehead against her own, “I lied earlier. You look more than just good, Arya. You look absolutely breath taking and I wanted to check your lipstick theory. You were right, not a single smudge.”

“You haven’t even seen the full dress yet.” And with just eight words, his nerves from before come back in full swing as he gives her one more soft kiss on her red, puckered lips.

He takes her hand and leads her to the back yard, or rather woods, of the house they’re at until they reach a small opening with a wooden bridge leading to the other section of the yard, aligned with small dimmed string lights on the railing to light their path.

They stop just before the bridge and Arya’s face widens with excitement, “Okay, before I go any further with you, you have to tell me what all this is. Whose house is this?”

He takes a deep breath before explaining everything to her, “Well the house isn’t really important as I don’t actually know who lives here.”

She smacks his arm, “What the fuck, Gendry?”

“Just relax, will you? We have permission to be here. My buddy Hot Pie catered a wedding here the day after the carnival and he asked me to help out since someone called out sick. Anyway, the guy that lives here was so pleased with Hot Pie’s food and his exceptional service that he told him if he ever needed anything to let him know. Well after we had such a good time at the carnival, I asked him if I could cash in the favor for him and use this place as a little impromptu date for us with his help and since the people that live here were going out of town for the honeymoon, the owner said it was fine as long as we left the place exactly as it was when we left.”

He looks out into the distance, not yet ready to meet Arya’s eyes but when her soft voice comes through his ears, he just can’t help himself, “You thought about tonight all this time?”

“Aye.”

He doesn’t hesitate when Arya wraps her arms around his neck and pulls his face down to meet hers in another kiss.

He pulls away and leads her down the lighted bridge, “Anyway, later that day after the wedding we went exploring back here to see everything the space had to offer and found this…” He points to the end of the bridge that’s still lit with tiny lights, lighting the path up a staircase to a small tree house several feet in the air.

“Are you kidding me, Baratheon? This is amazing.”

The look on her face washes away any doubts he may have had about him fucking up tonight and even though their date has just begun, he feels confident nothing will deter them now.

Once they reach the top, he stops to let her take in the view in front of them. A candlelit table for two sits with a white tablecloth, plates of hot food and wine. Not to mention the stunning view of Blackwater Bay showing just behind the trees, complete with a small fireplace heater to keep the outside space, warm and cozy. 

“I know it’s not the likes of The Stag’s Head, but…”

“But nothing, I love it. This is perfect and so are you.”

She surprises him once again when she wraps her arms around his waist and lays her head on his chest. As if it’s mere instinct or just the way their bodies are supposed to mold together, he wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on the top of her head.

He hopes she can’t hear how loud his heart is beating in his chest and when she pulls her face back and smiles up at him, he knows she did in fact hear it, “Do I make you nervous, Baratheon?”

He can’t lie to her.

“Yes, you do. I’ve wanted this for so long and to think it’s actually happening, it’s just not something I can wrap my head around. You are so far out of my league, and after watching all those other guys fail with you, I just don’t want to fuck this up because you mean so much to me and I…”

His rant is cut short when she places her palm over his mouth, “Stop. You’re not going to fuck this up and you mean a lot to me too. This is already so much more than I dreamed it could be. You have me, Gendry.”

With that, she removes her hand from his mouth to grab his own and place it over her heart, “I’m not going anywhere. You feel that?” He swallows and nods nervously.

“I’m nervous too, now take my coat off like the good gentleman you are so I can see your reaction to my dress.”

He laughs as she removes her scarf and he steps behind her to remove her coat from her shoulders, her _bare_ shoulders. Holy shit.

Once the fabric is no longer covering her, it takes him a full minute of staring to gather his thoughts at how fucking gorgeous she is.

Her dress is split into two, a small white and black piece covers her breasts and ties in the back while the long, flowing red, white and black skirt meets the space in her middle, leaving just enough skin on her abdomen to tease, while looking effortlessly classy and extraordinarily beautiful.

He straightens himself up and says only one word, “Okay,” before moving on to pour her a glass of her favorite wine, setting it down carefully on the tablecloth and holding out her chair for her to sit down.

She looks mildly bewildered as she sits down and he scoots her chair closer to the table, “Okay? That’s all I get?”

Still behind where she sits, he leans down to whisper in her ear and he doesn’t miss the way she shivers at his warm breath on her exposed skin, “Arya, I’ve been trying to be the perfect gentleman tonight, and it’s taking all the self-control I have now to keep that up and not knock everything off this goddamn table and fuck you so hard on it that you don’t remember your own name.”

He watches as her grey eyes grow darker under his gaze, “Okay.”

Gendry sits across from her, “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

If his and her lust filled, dilated eyes are anything to go by, they both know damn well she’s not talking about the food in front of them. Weeks of build up tension ready to explode in the sexually charged air between them.

***

They eat and the silence is filled with pleasant conversation about their lives, everything from her crazy family, to his metal business that seems to be growing with each passing day.

Once they’re finished eating, he watches as Arya wanders over to the edge of the tree house, eyes marveling at the view of the bay lit by the moon high in the night sky.

He steps behind her and wraps his arms around her small frame, pulling her back flushed against his body, “What’re you thinking about?”

Gendry feels her hum in contentment in his arms, “You. This night. How amazing and perfect it is and how I never want it to end.”

She turns around in his embrace and just before her mouth reaches his parted lips, his phone rings loudly in his pocket, breaking their trance. He looks down to see Hot Pie calling him who is waiting nearby for assistance if he’s needed.

“What is it, mate?”

“Uh, we have a problem. Apparently, we explored _too far_ into the back yard and well, the tree house doesn’t belong to Mr. Anderson, but rather his neighbor and he seems a little pissed people are on his property.”

“Fuck.” The panic in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by Arya as she stares at him with confusion on her face.

“Just go, mate. I’ll stall him enough to let you both get away and explain it was just a minor misunderstanding. I’m here for clean up anyway.”

“Thanks, mate.” He hangs up the phone and walks over to grab Arya’s jacket and scarf from the back of her chair.

“Is everything okay?” She puts her arms in it easily, “Well, long story short, this isn’t the same property we have permission to be on, and therefore we need to go. Like right now.”

She barks out a loud laugh as he grabs her hands and they run back to his truck.

Once inside the safety of his vehicle, they both let out humorous laughs at their current predicament, “That didn’t go exactly as planned.”

“No, it was better.” She laughs as she buckles herself in and they make their way back out onto the main road, “At least we got to eat, but what now, Romeo?”

Seeing is how this was really the only thing he had planned for them, with Hot Pie’s help, he really doesn’t know what to do from here as he drives through the streets of downtown King’s landing, lit up by crystal white lights on the trees aligned on either side of the street like a winter wonderland.

He parallel parks on the street, underneath one of the lit trees glowing in the night, and then gets out to open Arya’s door once more, “Come on, the night is still ours.”

They walk arm in arm down the street until they find a small coffee shop and head inside for a caffeinated treat.

He can’t believe even after he fucked up their dinner date so badly, she’s still here with him, laughing and having more fun then he’s ever got to see her have on one of her dates at the pub.

After coffee and dessert, he’s practically shaking in his seat as he drives them back to Storm’s End, with no particular destination in mind other than her loft, dangerous thoughts dancing in his mind of getting her out of that dress. He doesn’t want to be presumptuous and expect anything to happen with them tonight, the last thing he wants to do is pressure her into anything or make her uncomfortable in any way.

But when he stops in front of her building, and she asks him to come inside for a drink, he feels his chest exert with so much happiness and lust filled anticipation, he can’t help but to let his thoughts from earlier come back to the forefront of his mind as she leads them upstairs and inside her apartment.

***

Arya opens her door with shaky hands as she feels him step inside behind her. She takes off her coat and scarf and hangs them up on the rack in the foyer, as Gendry stands there awkwardly with his hands in his suit pockets, “Wine?”

“Yeah, sure.”

After pouring them each a glass she joins him where he stands in her dining room adjacent to the kitchen, “Here’s to a first date and Hot Pie saving the day.”

They clink their glasses together and then take slow sips, all the while never removing their eyes from the other. She watches as he takes her glass and his and sets them down on the table before closing the distance between them painfully slowly. His blue eyes grow darker with each passing second and it’s when he lightly presses his body into hers and takes her lips to his that she realizes what he’s doing. He’s still trying to be a gentleman and not push any boundaries she’s not ready for, which only causes her heart to soar with more adoration and even more growing impatience. She wants him, and she’s done waiting.

She lets him kiss her softly before she pulls back and takes his face in each of her hands, “Gendry, stop being a _gentleman_.” Thinking back to his comments the first night they met, she wants the other side of Gendry Baratheon right now and as if he understand exactly what she means, he begins to deliver as his eyes dilate and he’s crushing his lips to hers, tender and unrelenting, just the way she wants it.

Her body reacts accordingly as he grabs a fist of her hair and pushes her face first gently into the wall, her cheek against the cold surface, all the while her inside heating up like a roaring fire and then melting at the same time, him coming up behind her and locking her in place with his own body and growing bulge in his pants roughly, as his hand trails along the curve of her neck, fingers gripping it just enough for her to feel the heat pool low in her belly, her underwear coated with the wetness he’s bringing out of her with every touch.

Her hands lay flat against the wall she’s pinned to as his lips tease her skin, leaving wet kisses from her neck to her shoulder and back up again, stopping to bite her earlobe, causing a loud moan to escape her lips, “Is this what you want?”

She can only nod, her brain too clouded with excitement to form proper words as his hips buck into hers involuntarily, his erection straining against the fabric of his suit for release.

With one hand still around her neck, she feels his fingers trace the tie of her dress and pull until the top piece falls to the floor, leaving only her black bra and skirt.

The same hand he used to untie her top is now trailing down to slip underneath the waistband of the skirt, dropping down her legs until it’s pooling around her ankles and she has to step out of it. He flips her around so that her back hits the wall and she’s in nothing but her bra, thong, and heels.

“Seven hells, Arya. You’re so beautiful.”

With his fingers around her neck, she feels her impatience growing stronger as she struggles to remove him from his clothes, first the jacket and under shirt, her hands trailing down his toned muscles leisurely.

He removes his hands from her body to finish what she started, letting his pants fall to his ankles, leaving him in only his black boxer briefs, his cock hard and ready under the dark cloth.

Still in her heels, his hands find her thighs as he lifts her up, pining her against the wall with her legs wrapped around his torso, her feet digging into his back as he nips and licks every inch of exposed skin on her neck, sucking roughly on her pulse point.

Her body is on fire and she can’t take much more of the teasing, she needs him inside of her right now before she completely comes undone right then and there.

Before she can tell him as much, he unhooks her bra with one hand, his other cupping the now exposed breast as he takes it into his mouth, sucking so hard he’s sure to leave his mark on it.

His lips release her swollen nipple with a sloppy _pop_ before they kiss the butterfly tattoo just under it.

His hand begins roaming slowly over the fabric at her core, and she swears it’s the sexiest thing she’s ever experienced, “You’re so _wet_, Stark.” He whispers in her ear and gods, what he’s doing to her feels so fucking good.

“Bedroom. Now.”

She points down the hall as he carries her that way, kicking her heels off, leaving them on the hallway floor in the process.

He throws her on the bed and gives her a hungry once over as a low growl erupts from deep within him, and she knows the feeling well.

She watches as he leans down on the bed, resting his elbows on each side of her as his hands remove the only remaining article of clothing her body is shielded with. She sighs audibly and then gasps as his finger enters her soaking wet folds and he begins massaging her clit with his others before his lips begin sucking and pulling, his tongue dancing around her wetness, “Fuck, you taste so _good_.”

He removes his lips and enters another finger and she strains her head back deeper into the pillow, her hips bucking up and he works his fingers inside of her, her walls clenching around each digit.

“_Fuck_, don’t stop.” And soon enough she’s coming all over his hand with a loud moan and a violent shaking, her thighs humming with pleasure.

Once she comes back down from the high, she sits up and watches as he removes his boxer briefs, her bottom lip sliding subconsciously through her white teeth as his cock bounces lightly from the new exposure.

She points to her left. “Nightstand.”

He steps off the bed to grab a condom from the drawer, opening the packet quickly and rolling it onto his throbbing cock.

Once he’s ready, she laughs and then moans with delight as he flips her over, so she’s faced down into the mattress, his hands roaming over her naked body, pulling her back to his with a hard tug, as he enters her from behind. His fingers dig into her hips as he uses them to hold himself to her.

“_Fuck_.” Is all she can manage as he thrusts deeper and deeper inside of her, swearing to all the gods she’s going to forget what anything else feels like other than his cock sliding in and out of her as he speeds up his pace.

She whimpers and pouts when he pulls out of her, but then he has her flipped over on to her back in seconds as his hand comes back down to wrap around her throat, holding her in place as he renters his cock inside her, harder this time and with more passion as his thrusts become more and more frantic.

She doesn’t know if it’s his hand on her neck, or the look in his eyes as he fucks her into oblivion that’s causing her to belly to clench with that familiar tightness, her core aching to fall over the edge once again and as she whispers his name from her kiss swollen lips, she soon crashes over and takes him with her as his body lies down into hers, his cock twitching with his release inside her tight cunt, her hands gripping his slick with sweat shoulder muscles, as they both peak and come down from their mind blowing orgasms together.

His face is buried into the crook of her neck and she’s having trouble breathing, not able to believe this is really happening.

After a moment of not moving, she feels him slip out of her and watches as he removes the condom, walking to her bathroom to dispose of it properly before he’s joining her once more in bed, wrapping his arms around her sweaty frame, neither of them caring enough at the moment to worry about the mess they’re in.

“A hell of a first date if I do say so myself. Did I earn a second one and finally break your one date streak, Miss Stark?”

She traces her fingers along his chest absentmindedly, “I think I’ll keep you around for a little longer.”

She smiles from underneath her messy sex hair as he kisses the top of her head, snuggling closer to her from under the covers.

“Best. Date. Ever.” She says as she continues to trail her hands along his torso, inching lower and lower and smiling in triumph as she sees his cock twitch under the sheets, already growing hard again at her torturous touch.

By the third round, they’ve worn themselves into a blissful exhaustion, falling asleep easily in each other’s embrace and as Arya’s mind drifts off, she knows she’ll never be going on another date with a stranger ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and an epilogue. Thanks for reading and staying on this ride with me, I've enjoyed it so much. ♥


	9. There May Be Lovers Who Hold Out Their Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She takes them and smiles in bewilderment, not for the first time that day around him either, “Two roses?” The meaning dawns on her and she smiles wider, “For our second date?”
> 
> He nods shyly.
> 
> “So, what? You’re going to give me the same number of roses to go with the number of our dates?”
> 
> “Aye.” He smiles brightly but doesn’t elaborate.
> 
> She doesn’t say anything as they leave the shop, but she also can’t hide her grin either and the rest of the drive back to his place, she wonders just how high Gendry Baratheon can count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late, but better late than never, right?

Arya wakes slowly in the early morning glow to warm arms wrapped around her naked body under her bedsheets and to the smell of the handsome man sleeping peacefully behind her.

She thinks about their date the night before and smiles to herself as his arms instinctively pull her closer to his body in his sleep. It feels like a dream, one that she never wants to wake up from, and just maybe, she won’t ever have to.

She wiggles herself deeper in her bed in an attempt to go back to sleep, and waste the day away in bed with Gendry, but when she feels him groan beside her, that thought floats away for a moment as she turns to gaze into his sleepy blue eyes.

“Hi.”

It’s a simple word and all she can manage to say as she maneuvers her body so that she’s laying fully on her back, her head turn towards him lazily, his blue eyes staring so deeply into her, he’s making it hard for her to breathe, let alone form a more coherent thought other than a simple greeting.

“Hi,” he says back just as softly.

She nuzzles her face into the crook of his neck and plants a small kiss on his heated skin, “Can we just stay like this all day and forget about the real world?”

He sighs subtly as if he wants to say yes, but can’t, “I actually have plans for a little while today.”

“Oh,” she can’t hide her disappoint and at this point she doesn’t care if it shows.

“But you can join me if you’d like.” He says with a smile while stroking her tangled bed, _and sex_ hair.

She doesn’t know what his plans for the day entail, but she also could care less if it means getting to spend time with him, even if it is outside the comfort of her bed and his naked body.

“Sure, but I need a shower first. You can join me if you’d like.” She mirrors his words right back to him and squeals when he jumps out of the bed and throws her over his shoulder to carry her into the bathroom, smacking her playfully on the ass as he does so.

He sets her down right beside the shower door and begins to ravish her neck with wet kisses, trailing his lips from her collarbone down to the space between her breasts as she reaches over to open the shower door and turn on the water. He moans into her chest as his mouth finds her nipple, licking and sucking causing her to tilt her head back in pure pleasure, already feeling herself getting wet before she even steps foot under the hot stream of water.

Arya grabs him by his hair and brings his face back to level with hers, her tongue diving into his mouth deeply as she leads them both inside the open shower door, the water warm against her skin as she kicks it closed behind them.

Once the door is latched securely, Gendry pushes her up against it as he works his mouth hungrily over her wet skin, dipping lower and lower until he finds her swollen folds and plunges his tongue inside. She holds his shoulders to keep herself steady as she raises one leg to give him better access, her other squeezing her thigh tightly against his ear, moaning louder than the sound of the shower.

If he keeps up his pace, she’s going to…

She cries out when Gendry slips a finger inside of her and then curls it in and out, at a blissful, yet torturous pace, “_Fuck_.”

She looks down at him just as he looks back up at her and smiles, water droplets coating his long eye lashes over crystal blue eyes.

He stands up and turns her so that the front of her body is pressed against the door, his hands roaming over her bare back.

He grabs her wet hair and jerks it back, hard, and she can’t help but to giggle at the pain sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her core. He leans down to whisper in her ear, “I want to fuck you so badly right now, love.”

“Fuck me, Gendry. _Please_.”

“But…” she knows where his head it at and she loves him for it.

“It’s fine, I trust you, and I’m on birth…” her words turn into a deep moan as he pushes his cock into her tight cunt, and her walls welcoming it happily.

His hand stays tangled in her hair while his other hand keeps a tight grip on her hip, fingers digging so hard inti her skin he’s sure to leave a mark, something else that makes her want him even more as he thrusts harder and deeper inside of her with every movement of his body against hers.

Gendry is by far the best sex she’s ever had, and she wonders if there will ever come a day when sex with him is anything other than utterly mind blowing.

“Fuck, _Arya_.” She can tell by the way his body moves more frantically, he’s about to come and she’s not far behind him.

She grabs his hand that’s holding her hips and brings it to her clit, urging him to help her over the edge and a few moments later, they’re both seeing stars as his hips stop and he spills himself inside of her, her thighs convulse as she comes crashing down to the surface of the intense pleasure their love making resulted in.

As he pulls himself slowly out of her, the shower does its job of washing away any remnants of both their orgasms.

She wraps her arms around his waist as he kisses her forehead, letting his lips linger there a little longer, savoring the moment.

The simple act of affection causes her to speak her feelings, no longer needing to hold them back and under the surface of her heart, “_I love you_.”

She bites her lip and looks down at her feet and feels his lips come down to crash against her own.

She’s never felt the things she feels with Gendry with anyone else before and it’s overwhelming all of her senses as he repeats those three little words over and over, and only to her.

“I love you, Arya. So much, more than you will ever know.”

He wipes the dripping water from her face before he kisses her again, softer this time, letting the kiss show her just how much he feels for her and it literally makes her go weak in the knees.

***

After dressing in ‘_gym clothes_,’ as Gendry described it when they got done with their shower and letting him drive them back to his apartment so he could change as well, they are now back in his truck and on their way to an unknown location. Well, known to him, but apparently, he wants to not let her in on where they’re going to be spending part of their Sunday off.

As they pull into a parking lot, her face contorts in half bewilderment, and half adoration, “The youth community center? Do _you_ have a kid you’re not telling me about?” She thinks back to his expression at the carnival when she acted as if her niece was actually her daughter. She’ll never _not_ want to watch him squirm.

That earns her a heartedly laugh from him and she can’t help but to chuckle softly, “No, I just volunteer here every Sunday. Most of the kids that come here are bounced around in the foster system and they don’t have any real adult role models in their lives. They gather here on the weekends and the volunteers help them with homework, listen to any problems they may have and give advice accordingly, or just play basketball or whatever else they feel like doing.”

Her heart feels like it’s going to explode and gods above, she really does love him more than anything, “That’s amazing, Gendry.”

She reaches over to squeeze his hand that’s resting between them, “And thank you for bringing me here and sharing this part of your life with me.”

They’re still holding hands as they walk inside, and she feels Gendry release his quickly from hers when a basketball flies wildly in his direction. She looks to see the boy that threw the ball across the room staring them down, he can’t be more than twelve years old, and she smiles shyly when he walks towards them with a determined demeanor.

“Yo, Mr. B, are we gonna have that rematch or what?” He stops in front of them and looks Arya up and down curiously, measuring her in some sort of way she feels like.

“Who’s this?” He says to Gendry and she watches him to gauge his answer.

“This is Arya. Arya, this is Henry. I won the game last week and he wants a chance to redeem himself.”

She smiles at Gendry and suddenly the need for gym clothes and sneakers starts to make more sense. She turns to Henry and says, “So how good is he really?” She points a finger in Gendry’s direction and watches as Henry narrows his green eyes at him, “He’s mediocre at best, last game was just a fluke.”

He snatches the ball from Gendry’s hands and bounces it a few times, “I’m going to make it to the NBA one day, just you wait and see.”

At this point some of the other kids Gendry interacts with at the youth center have found their way over to them and encourages Mr. B to join in a game.

He introduces Arya quickly, so they all know her name before he asks her, “You in, Stark?”

Before she can reply, one of the younger girls, no more than the same age as Henry yells excitedly, “Girls versus boys!”

To which earns the same level of excitement from the other kids, and how can she say no to that, their smiling faces bright with joy and innocence.

After they are split up into even teams, Henry halts the ball in his hand before they even start, “Hold up, Mr. B, is Arya your _girlfriend_?”

Arya can’t hide her smile at Gendry, waiting for his answer.

“Well, Henry, I think that’s a question for Arya.” She laughs at his clear embarrassment, but she finds that him wanting her to respond as to not answer incorrectly is such a sweet gesture and she knows her response is the one he wants to hear.

“Yes, Henry. I am Mr. B’s girlfriend, but that’s not going to stop me from kicking his butt, if that’s what you were worried about.”

She mocks her words in Gendry’s direction, “I wasn’t actually, I just wanted to make sure Mr. B here wasn’t gonna take it easy on you.”

Gendry snatches the ball from Henry and feigns hurt at the jab, “Not a chance young man, she’s going down.” He says with a subtle wink.

He steps into Arya’s personal space and then holds the ball up so that he’s hiding the short, but sweet kiss he gives her on her smiling lips.

“Ewwww.” All the kids screech simultaneously, very aware of what’s happening behind the basketball held in mid-air.

Gendry laughs as he hangs his head at their reaction, “Alright, alright. Let’s play!”

***

“Oh, come on, don’t pout at me like that!”

Arya climbs into Gendry’s truck as they leave the community center, smiling triumphantly to herself since she and the girls beat Gendry and the boys at basketball, _twice_. 

“I am not pouting, I’m thinking.”

She narrows her eyes at him as he starts the ignition and puts his seatbelt on, “Thinking about what?”

“About how good you were in there, at basketball, and helping Julia with her history homework, and how fucking _hot_ it was.”

Arya barks a loud laugh at that, “Well I do have a degree in…” He cuts her off, leaning over to crash his lips against hers, “I adore you.”

He tells her honestly and it makes her melt.

She kisses him again and then says, “So, any other plans for the day or do I get you all to myself?”

He smiles as he puts the truck in gear and pulls out of the parking lot, “I’m all yours. So, what’s next on the agenda, my lady?”

***

She wanders around the supermarket in search of microwavable popcorn and all the junk food she can carry for her movie night in with Gendry back at his apartment later when she feels a shadow approach from her left.

“Arya?”

She turns at the sound of her name to see Ned Dayne staring down at her in the middle of the candy aisle. She sighs, not really wanting to deal with him at the moment, but at the same time, still wanting to be polite, “Hey, Ned. How are you?”

He gives her a toothy grin and it’s so arrogant, just like he was throughout their entire date that she wants to skip all politeness and just be plain rude and walk away without another word, “I’ve been great actually, glad I ran into you, I was thinking maybe we could go out again sometime?”

She’s about two seconds from high tailing it out of there when Gendry finds them from his search of drinks for the evening and rests his arm on her shoulder, in that _protective, back the fuck up_ kind of way. Normally, she’d hate a man acting that way towards her, but right now she’s very thankful for it. And with it coming from Gendry, it’s kind of turning her on.

Ned’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion at their casual body language, “Uh, hey. Aren’t you that bartender at The Stag’s Head?”

She’s not giving Gendry the opportunity to respond to that, so she does it for him as nicely as she can, “His name is _Gendry_, and he’s my boyfriend. We were actually just getting snacks for _our date_ tonight, and we gotta run, see you around Ned.” She practically rolls her eyes at the end as she grabs Gendry by the arm and steers him as far away from Ned Dayne as she can.

“You have no faith in me to be nice to one of your dates whatsoever, do you?”

Arya huffs, “Ha! Hardly. It was me I was worried about, not you.”

His arm stays on her shoulder as they walk away and he kisses her temple sloppily, “And that’s why I love you.”

She pushes him playfully off of her with a giggle as they continue their quest, both just as eager to get away from the public eye for a while and be alone with the other again.

Once they have everything the need for the night, they’re finally on the way to Gendry’s apartment, but not before he’s making a stop at a small florist near the supermarket, “Wait here.”

He hops out of the truck so fast she can’t even ask him what he’s doing and before she knows it, he’s back with two red roses in his hands.

She takes them and smiles in bewilderment, not for the first time that day around him either, “Two roses?” The meaning dawns on her and she smiles wider, “For our second date?”

He nods shyly.

“So, what? You’re going to give me the same number of roses to go with the number of our dates?”

“Aye.” He smiles brightly but doesn’t elaborate.

She doesn’t say anything as they leave the shop, but she also can’t hide her grin either and the rest of the drive back to his place, she wonders just how high Gendry Baratheon can count.

***

They’re lying comfortably on the pile of blankets and sheets they’ve spread out on Gendry’s living room floor, ready to start the next Star Wars movie in their marathon after their Chinese food has been successfully devoured along with a bag of microwave popcorn.

The home screen of the movie idly plays as it waits for them to start it, but Arya seems more interested in the man holding her than the movie on his television screen.

“You know what you did, don’t you?” she looks up at him from where she’s tucked in his arms, sitting between his legs across the floor.

She laughs as he begins to panic slightly, afraid her question was more of what he did _wrong_. She decides to put him out of his misery when his brain seems to overthink her question, “You broke my one date streak. This is the first _second_ date I’ve had in a long time, and I think it’s the best one yet.”

He pulls back to look at her with a shocked expression on his face, with a little hint of hurt underneath the surface, that she thinks only she can see, “Yet? Are you planning on having another second date with someone else, Stark? Already replacing me, are you?”

She sees that he means for it to be playful, but she can see the fear in his eyes.

She rolls her grey eyes as she moves to straddle him and hold his face in her soft hands, “Not a chance, Baratheon. I think you’re stuck with me annoying you for a very, very long time.”

He strokes her bare thighs with his hands and the sensation makes her glad she opted for only an oversized t-shirt and underwear during their movie marathon, “I like the sound of that.”

He continues to stare into her eyes as his hands find their way up her skin, ducking under the fabric of her shirt until they stop on her breast, giving them a rough squeeze, earning a load moan from her, and by the smile Gendry gives her afterwards, that was his exact intention all along.

She grabs her shirt and pulls it over her head, throwing off to the side somewhere as she bends down to kiss his lips, a kiss that becomes so heated in mere seconds, that the remaining clothes they wear suddenly becomes too restricting.

Soon enough, he has her writhing under him as she sits back down on his length, letting him fill her completely as she rides him steadily into the floor.

His head arches back and hits the couch as she picks up her pace and it’s quickly too much, he’s too much, too perfect, feels too fucking good for her to not come apart on top of him.

A few more thrusts, a few more kisses and she’s falling over the edge, taking him with her as they ride out their pleasure together, bodies slick with sweat and convulsing in tandem.

She can’t remember what fleeting thought lead her to The Stag’s Head all those weeks ago, maybe it was just a feeling, or maybe it was fate. And now, as she holds Gendry’s naked body tightly to her own, she thinks perhaps it was the latter.

***

The past month he’s been with Arya, has been nothing less than perfection, but when she invites him to her childhood home to have dinner with her family, he’s beginning to panic a little at the thought. He’s already met Sansa, the eldest Stark daughter and he knows much about her siblings, her younger ones, and the one that set her up on the date with Jamie Lannister. Now, in these situations, Gendry thinks he should be afraid of her protective brothers and her father, but that’s not the case here. No, the person Gendry truly needs to impress is the person that unknowingly sent Arya his way in the first place, her mother, Catelyn Stark.

Since they first got together, they’ve had six dates, and before he can even think about buying seven roses for the dinner with her family, Arya stops the thought before it even crosses his mind, insisting dinner with her family is not a date. Because she doesn’t want him to have all of that pressure. She wants him to be comfortable around the people closest to her, she wants him to be himself, the man she loves, and she knows that no matter what happens, they’re going to love him as much as she does.

To all seven, he hopes he can leave the Stark house with every family member’s approval of him dating the youngest Stark woman.

His hopes for that are cut short when he sees the dress Arya decides to wear, knowing it’s going to take all his strength to keep his self-control in tact and not do something stupid like take her in the bathroom while everyone is just a few feet away.

The meeting of her siblings, save for Sansa, goes off without a hitch. Robb and Jon take to him quite easily and he likes to believe he’s found two more friends of them, and with Bran and Rickon, they get along with him just enough for Arya to be pleased. But in all honesty, he thinks they could care less that their big sister is dating a Baratheon as long as he treats her right and doesn’t do anything to fuck it up.

Ned Stark is beyond thrilled that Arya is dating the son of his oldest friend, despite Robert’s reputation with women, to which Arya assured her father that Gendry is nothing like his womanizer father. So, with Arya’s siblings and father’s approval, he sighs with relief.

Now all he has to do is get on with the glue that holds them together, her mother.

Gendry and Arya are talking in the dining room when Catelyn joins her husband in the living room while Bran and Rickon set the table for dinner.

He takes a deep breath and works up the courage he needs as he grabs Arya’s hand and leads her to where her parents are resting on the couch.

He clears his throat and removes a small box from his suit pocket, handing it over to Catelyn as she stares back at him with curious, soft Tully blue eyes, “This is for you, Mrs. Stark. A thank you for letting me join you tonight.”

He waits with a heavy heart as she unwraps the gift and then marvels at the corkscrew that is her favorite color, thanks to the information he got from Sansa, and has her initials carved into it. If Arya didn’t get anything from her mother, she sure did inherit her love of wine from the red headed woman.

“This is lovely, Gendry, wherever did you get it?”

He looks at his feet and then back up to meet her eyes, “I made it, ma’am.”

“Really? It’s marvelous work, dear.”

“Thank you. Apart from working at the pub, I run my own metal business.”

He watches as Arya and her mother coo over the details of the gift, and then Arya pouts in his direction before coming back to his side and saying, “I want an engraved corkscrew.”

She folds her arms across her chest and she’s so damn cute, he almost doesn’t want to break the pout as he leans down to whisper only to her, “Don’t worry, love. I made you one too.”

Catelyn sets the box down on the side table and then asks Gendry for moment of his time, alone.

He follows her down the hall and into what looks to be her husband’s home office, “Thank you for the gift, Gendry, it’s very lovely.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So, Arya mentioned to me in passing, that while you were nervous about meeting her family, you were most nervous to impress me, why is that?”

Gendry rakes a hand through his hair, “Well because you were kinda the reason I met Arya in the first place. She told me she started dating again because you encouraged her too and wanted her to settle down. I watched her go on enough dates to know that while she tried for you, she failed.”

Catelyn appears content with a small smile as he carries on, “I fell in love with her while watching her date other men that could never be good enough for her. They didn’t know her worth, but I do, and I thank the Gods everyday that she chose me and lets me show her how precious she is every single day.”

“I know that you dislike my father, and I don’t blame you, I feel the same. And while I share his blood and his name, I want you to know that I would never treat Arya the same way that my father has treated the women in his life, present and past. I love your daughter, and that’s never going to change. Even if one day, she wakes up and decides I’m not worth it anymore.”

Catelyn holds up a hand to halt his speech, to which that he’s grateful, “I assure you, Gendry, I don’t believe you are anything like your father. I’ve known Robert most of my life, and while I’ve only known you a few hours, I can already see it. And I can see the way Arya loves you too, it’s written all over her face when she looks at you. You don’t have to impress me in any other way other than treating my girl the way she deserves to be treated and it looks to me that you’re doing a fantastic job at it.”

He sighs with a large smile, “Come, let’s eat and you can tell us more about this business of yours, and what else you can make.”

She grabs his arm and leads him back out to the others and for the first time since arriving that night, he feels like he can actually breathe and is excited about the future time he’ll be spending with Arya and her family.

That is until, she tests his self-control again at the dinner table.

While Talisa and Robb tell a funny story about something Millie did, he feels Arya’s hand graze his thigh under the table and then work its way upward, cause his cock to twitch in anticipation.

Isn’t that something he’s supposed to be doing with that dress of hers?

He leans over to whisper in her ear, “Are you reverse fifty shading me right now, Stark?”

She whispers back with a sultry voice and a devilish gleam in her steel eyes, “So what if I am, what are you going to do about it?”

Suddenly, taking her in the bathroom doesn’t seem that far-fetched, but for now, he wants to finish the dinner with her family, and then he’ll have his way with her in any room of her choosing.

He grabs her hand and intertwines his fingers with hers, “Soon, love. We have nothing but time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go. Thank you so much for your love on this one.


	10. But Then Again, He’ll Never Love You Like I Can, Can, Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So now as she walks in and sees the place completely done up to look like a proper wedding party with an open bar, she thinks the idea wasn’t as bad after all.   
That is until her boyfriend slips into the familiar roll of bartender rather than best man.   
With him behind the bar pouring drinks, she falls onto her bar stool and laughs loudly, “Aren’t you supposed to be off duty tonight, Mr. Baratheon?”   
He stops what he’s doing when he realizes what he’s doing and returns her laughter, “Sorry, love. Bad habit to break, I guess. It just comes naturally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is late, life just happens. But better late than never right? Maybe a part of me was struggling to finish this because I don't want it to be the end. But here we are.

** _ 6 months later… _ **

Arya watches with a soft smile through the cracked opened doors as Mya makes her way down the aisle with Lizzie, holding her hand with one and the small flower basket with the other as she carefully plucks them out and then throws them lazily on the ground at her small feet.

It’s their turn next, so she takes one last look at her reflection in the mirror next to the double doors, making sure her makeup isn’t smudged, and her hair is still in place before she turns to the always handsome, dark haired, blue eyed man standing next to her in his finest suit and tie.

He gives her a nervous smile as she adjusts his tie from where it’s slightly leaning more to the left than it should, “Relax, there’s no reason to be nervous.” She can feel the anxiety radiating off of him beneath her fingertips.

He releases a soft, albeit unsteady, breathy laugh as she drops her hands from his neck and gestures an open arm for him to take, “Ready?”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Arya gives him a reassuring smile, happy that she doesn’t have to explain to a room full of people as to why one of the grooms is missing, as she laces her arm through his and grabs her bouquet, nodding to the ushers that they are ready to proceed as planned.

The doors open and she sighs heavily as she eyes her sister at the other end of the aisle in an elegant maroon gown that matches her own pantsuit, waiting for them to make their way to the alter.

In the middle and at the head of the alter stands Olenna Tyrell waiting to perform the ceremony, and just to her left is her own dark haired, blue eyed Baratheon giving her a sultry, yet adoring look like she’s the only one in the room, like her eyes are the only ones he ever wants to find himself starting into for the rest of his life, and honestly she feels the same way when she looks into his own. At that, she thanks every God there is she has Renly holding her up, otherwise she’d melt into a puddle on the floor from the look of Gendry in his own suit, a sight she’ll never tire from seeing.

Butterflies fill her belly the moment she pictures them doing this again, but in a different setting, one of their own.

She knows all eyes are on her and Renly as she walks him down the aisle, but the only thing she can see is how blue Gendry’s eyes are at that very moment as she finally, _finally_ reaches him, standing just in front of him and behind his uncle, waiting for the last to make their entrance.

She twists her head to speak to him softly, “Do you like my outfit? Look it has pockets.” She uses the hand that’s not holding the flowers to fiddle with the pocket of her pantsuit, gleefully so.

“You seemed pretty pleased with that, Ar.”

She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, the corner of her lips tugging upwards, “I am.”

The room goes quiet as the doors open once more, revealing Margaery in a matching gown to her sister’s and Loras in the same suit his father wore when he married his mother, as they make the final decent down the aisle, ready to start the day’s ceremony.

All eyes are on the Tyrell siblings, but she knows Gendry’s eyes are on her, something that still doesn’t keep her from jumping slightly as Gendry’s breath tickles her neck and fingertips brush down her bare back, “You look gorgeous, Stark. But I have to know, how easy is it to get this thing off that perfect body of yours?”

She knows what he’s thinking and her insides hum with pleasure as she leans subtly back into his touch, “Pretty easy actually.”

Heat pools low in her belly when she hears him groan with delight behind her, but she’s not done with teasing him just yet as she leans back to whisper only to him, “And it’s the _only_ thing I’m wearing.”

She knows he and everyone else can see she’s not wearing a bra, what with the pantsuit being a halter top wrapping around her slim neck and completely backless, but it’s when his hand trails down from the top of her back to the fabric covering her ass, roaming over slowly to find if she’s right or not, does she absolutely marvel at the decision to forgo underwear as well. She could have easily went with a thong, (Sansa and Marg would have killed her if she had panty lines) but something about being at a wedding with Gendry made that thought fly completely out of the window as she was getting ready earlier in the day.

Gendry’s hands wrap around her ass cheek gently, giving it a small squeeze in appreciation.

“You’re _killing_ me, love.”

Arya smiles smugly to herself and her eyes catch Mya’s smiling back at them, as she tries desperately to listen to what Olenna is saying.

Gendry’s hand continues to roam over her backside slowly, while his chin remains raised so no one will recognize what he’s doing, except maybe his very perceptive sister sitting in the front row with her daughter in her lap.

Arya lets her eyes drift closed for a split second as her body relaxes into the feel of his hand on her now highly sensitive body, but that moment is soon gone when she opens her eyes and meets Mya’s playful gaze. 

Gendry’s sister gives her another smile before playfully throwing her hand in front of Lizzie’s eyes to hide from the toddler what her uncle and girlfriend are up too.

She knows Lizzie isn’t watching them, but she can’t help but wonder if that’s not the same case for others in the room.

Gendry’s hand stops on her ass and gives it another squeeze, albeit a little harder this time and she thinks maybe he should stop before they get caught. As if on instinct she raises her elbow and pulls it back to plow into his abdomen, a little harder than she intended, catching him not only off guard, but causing him to yelp in surprised pain.

Olenna stops talking then and her cheeks flush bright red as all eyes turn to the source of the noise. She tries to hide her smile as Gendry feigns a cough, his voice hoarse from the action, “I’m fine, please, continue.”

A few giggles erupt around them and she watches as Marg and her grandmother simultaneously roll their eyes at the outburst before they continue on with the wedding ceremony.

Gendry leans down slightly to whisper in her ear, his breath hot and husky, “You’ll pay for that later, Stark.”

She bites her lip and subconsciously bring her legs closer together to keep the wetness that’s forming at bay, futile on all ends of the spectrum, “Promise?”

Gendry doesn’t get the chance to respond or make another move because suddenly the room is standing, whistles and cheers and claps break the silence and now the couple before them are officially married.

Arya claps as best as she can while holding her bouquet and she’s so happy she’s standing here witnessing such a beautiful day of love, feeling even more blessed that Renly asked her to walk him down the aisle since she’s partly to blame for today’s events. She couldn’t even tell him he was wrong about that.

As the couple retreats first in standard wedding traditions, Arya looks back over her shoulder and gives Gendry a warm smile, “I love you.”

He laughs and says he loves her too as Margaery walks Arya back down the aisle, with Sansa and Gendry arm in arm trailing behind them, with her sister no doubt berating him for his selfish antics. That makes her smile to herself for multiple reasons.

***

The guests and wedding party alike mingle amongst themselves before making their way over to where the reception is being held. She’s talking to her sister when Gendry grabs her from behind and pulls her closer to his body, earning Sansa to stalk off and leave them be with a small smile and a dramatic eye roll.

“A justice needs to be served, milady.”

Arya’s eyes widen, “What? Here? Now?”

Gendry spins her around and wraps his arms around her waist before laying his forehead against hers, “Yes, I’m not very well going to fuck you where I work, that’s _absurd_.”

She laughs quietly, only for him to hear, “And here isn’t?”

“It’s not like it’s a church or anything, come on.”

He grabs her hand and leads her away from the crowd as she turns her head back to make sure they aren’t being watched.

He rounds a corner and drags her into the tiny bathroom suite, not exactly large enough for two people, but then again, they don’t need much room as they’re about to be joined as one, needing to be as close as two people can be. 

As soon as the door clicks shut, he has her pinned against it with nowhere to go as his mouth latches onto her neck, trailing wet kisses from behind her ear down to the open cleavage on her chest. While his mouth works her over, she fumbles with his belt and the buttons on the pants of his suit, needing them down just enough to get what she wants.

Once their down and his hard cock is finally free, she releases her legs from his hips and stands, pulling the halter over her head and down her waist as the pantsuit falls to her ankles, revealing her bare body _ready_ and waiting for him to fuck her into oblivion.

She bites her lip as she watches his eyes turn to pure coal before he’s pulling her back to him and lifting her body up and off the floor once more. She falls back against the door, _hard_, and moans in delightful ecstasy as he enters her after he throws her leg around him in a perfect position that’s sure to have them both toppling over the edge in mere minutes.

He knows exactly what to do to her to give her that heightened feeling of pleasure and her heart clenches knowing that she never, ever, wants to let that feeling or him go. She knows he’s it for her, and her for him.

His thrusts and kisses become more frantic and sloppy as he chases both of their releases, and when she pulls her mouth away from his to stare into those blue eyes she loves so much, the lazy smile and look of adoration sends her thighs convulsing around his pulsing cock inside her, sending him to his own orgasm just seconds later.

As they find a steady breath, she urges him to kick her pantsuit away from them, not wanting to get anything on it once she’s free from him inside of her.

Once their both cleaned up enough to where no one will notice they just fucked each other in the bathroom at his uncle’s wedding, she opens the door slightly to see if anyone is in the hallway. Determining the coast is clear, she opens the door fully and they both exit while holding hands, still coming off their high as they make their way back down to the other guests roaming about. She stops at the end of the hallway and catches Margaery’s eye, and blushes profusely, and it’s only when she gives Arya a knowing smile and nod of approval does she relax into Gendry’s side, knowing her secret is safe about what they’ve been up to since the ceremony ended.

***

She has to give credit where credit is due, and all things considered, the fact they wanted their wedding reception in a pub, she admits that it’s actually kind of perfect.

After all, this is where their love story truly began, with an awkward date that eventually led her, Loras, Renly, and Gendry to the loves of their lives. But on the other hand, how much money they had to shell out in order to get the place for themselves on a Saturday night in the summer, she really thinks she doesn’t want to know. All she does know is that when Loras and Renly went to Davos with the idea, they asked him how much money he makes in profit on a typical Saturday night and then offered to double that number in order to secure it for the reception along with paying the employees in generous wages, tips, and bonuses for the inconvenience to which Davos and Gendry both agreed was more than fair.

So now as she walks in and sees the place completely done up to look like a proper wedding party with an open bar, she thinks the idea wasn’t that bad after all.

That is until her boyfriend slips into the familiar roll of bartender rather than best man.

With him behind the bar pouring drinks, she falls onto her bar stool and laughs loudly, “Aren’t you supposed to be off duty tonight, Mr. Baratheon?”

He stops what he’s doing when he _realizes_ what he’s doing and returns her laughter, “Sorry, love. Bad habit to break, I guess. It just comes naturally.” 

He resumes what he’s doing after he vows to do better and enjoy the rest of the night and she smiles to herself at seeing him so happy, despite falling back into his working ways. He really does love his job and she loves that about him, among a million other things.

Once the reception events simmer down, everything from the speeches, to the cake, to the first dance, the atmosphere slips into a comfortable night of dancing and drinking and a joyous celebration. Most of the older guests have retired for the night, so now that parents and grandparents alike are no longer around, the party takes on an interesting turn, so she’s not surprised at all that Margaery has arranged for her brother to give his new husband a surprise lap dance to the popular 90’s song, ‘Pony’, and the fact that others decide to throw some dollar bills their way makes the whole thing even more hilarious than it was just seconds ago.

Arya nurses her wine close to her chest, leaning into Gendry’s embrace as they watch the scene unfold before them, “I’m really glad they’re happy and I’m glad your jealousy helped make it happen.”

Gendry leans back to look at her incredulously, “My jealousy? That wasn’t jealousy, love, that was _amusement_. I knew he was gay and just wanted you to see it before it escalated.”

He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know, and she loves watching him squirm in order to correct her, “Okay, so we can say that Loras was the_ only_ date I had that didn’t make you insanely jealous?” She gives him a smug grin to which he matches happily.

“Yes. Any of those other blokes better be lucky I didn’t ban them for life. Except maybe Pod. And you know, the _other_ one…” He winces just slightly but she brushes it off with a smile, happy to not let those bad memories get them down.

The scene simmers down and the middle of the pub returns to a dance floor once again as the song changes into ‘Timber’ by Ke$ha, causing her sister and Margaery to drag her away from Gendry to dance with them.

She walks backwards away from him mouthing an, _I’m sorry_, before she turns and finds the rhythm and flow of moving her body easily with the music.

_“It’s going down, I’m yelling timber. You better move, you better dance. Let’s make the night you won’t remember; I’ll be the one you won’t forget.” _

Arya bounces around in between her family and friends, moving fast and smiling so wide she thinks her cheeks will be hurting for days after. She feels like she’s floating in a slow motion of euphoria, a night she never wants to let go of.

She sings loudly not caring for a second how bad it might sound, but it doesn’t matter. The music is too loud, everyone is deep in their cups and having too much of a good time to even care. This, she thinks, is a perfect night and there’s nothing that can happen to possibly make it better. She’ll soon find out how wrong she is.

***

Gendry leans against the bar as he watches the love of his life dance before him, a smile plastered on her beautiful face and his heart flutters at how happy and carefree she looks right now.

His uncle breaks his thoughts as he leans on the counter-top, the same side the woman his attention was held upon just moments before, “So, have you done it yet?”

Arya spins in Sansa’s arms and he barely registers that he was just asked a question, “Huh?”

His attention snaps him back to reality as Renly slaps him on the arm, “Mate, I was asking if you’ve asked Arya yet?”

His face goes blank and he relaxes into his drink, thinking about the box he has hidden away behind the bar, “Uh, no, not yet. Too much excitement going on, all thanks to you no doubt.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get the chance soon. I’m not spending my entire wedding night here with you lot. But please, for me, ask her before Loras and I leave tonight?”

“Sure thing.” He smiles to himself as his attention falls back to the brunette flailing about on the dance floor in her red pantsuit, one that he’ll be taking off of her for the second time later that night, celebrating something just for the two of them.

She catches him staring at her with that stupid smile on his face, one that’s usually only reserved for her, and she doesn’t hesitate in dragging him away from the bar to dance with her and their friends and family.

He gets lost in the music and the feel of her body close to his. Has it been minutes? Hours since they’ve been twirling around and around? He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. He’d be content to stay this way for the rest of his life.

When the song changes and Sansa keeps Arya’s attention occupied, he slips away quietly and makes his way over to retrieve the box that he’s been hiding behind the bar all week, waiting for the perfect moment to give it to her.

A loud laugh from somewhere near him catches him off guard, his blood pumping furiously as if he feels guilty for sneaking around behind the bar and it causes him to knock a champagne flute to the floor, glass scattering in a messy heap at his feet.

“Fuck.” He mumbles over the music as he bends down to clean up the mess he made.

As he’s on his knees, a shadow appears on the other side of the counter-top and he knows it’s her before he even has to look up, “Am I interrupting something?”

She mimics the first words she ever said to him, in the same situation of when they met for the first time and the irony is not lost on him. If anything, it makes what he’s about to do all the more special.

He catches her smiling down at him and his breath catches in his throat at how beautiful she is, hair disheveled from the wine and dancing.

“I have something for you. Just give me a second.” He gets straight to the point, nerves getting the better of him at the moment and he relaxes slightly at her laughing at him, clearly amused at his clumsiness. He’ll break a thousand more glasses if it means getting to hear that laugh of hers.

He grabs the box once all the glass is cleaned up and lays it on the bar in front of her as her eyes widen in shock.

“Is this what I think it is?” She doesn’t look angry or scared, just… content.

“Actually, no. I’m not proposing to you at my uncle’s wedding reception. Just open it.”

She giggles softly and opens the black box to reveal a keychain of a house attached to a gold key. Arya holds it up and looks at Gendry expectantly.

“It’s a key to my apartment.”

She narrows her eyes at him as if she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, “But I already have a key to your apartment.”

He scratches the back of his neck nervously and searches for the right words, “I know, but this is like a gesture of sorts. I want you to move in with me, but not at my apartment. I want us to find a new place together, maybe even buy a house. What do you think?” He feels the flush on his face and slowly looks up from the key to meet her eyes, her face bright with love and wonder.

She just sits there smiling for a few seconds before she jumps up out of the stool and climbs over the bar top, knocking them both to the floor he was just on, her straddling his lap and showering him with kisses in between saying _Yes_ and _I love you _excitedly.

He holds her waist and keeps her in place as he laughs and kisses her back.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Renly and Loras approach the bar and shake their heads at the two of them on the floor amusedly, “Hey, isn’t that supposed to be our job tonight?”

Arya keeps kissing him as he gives his uncles the middle finger behind her back.

Her lips releases his as she pushes herself up, both hands pressing into his chest, “I have to tell Sansa!” And then she’s gone.

Loras follows her to their sisters to hear her big news while Renly leans against the bar where Gendry, now standing, stares back at his girlfriend’s retreating form with a shit eating grin on his face.

“I assume she said yes then?”

“Aye.” He can’t stop the smile from taking over.

“And the other thing?”

Somehow, his smiles widens, “It’ll take me a couple of months to finish. But when I ask, you’ll be the first to know the answer, well the second, right behind me. Well maybe the third, if Arya doesn’t get to Sansa first.”

Renly claps him on the shoulder wholeheartedly, “I’m happy for you, Gendry. Truly.”

“Thanks, mate. And hey, remind me later to give Mya an _I told you so_.”

His eyebrows scrunch in confusion, so Gendry elaborates a little more before he asks, “She’ll know what it’s for, trust me.”

Renly laughs at his nephew as he walks away to join in on the excitement of Arya showing the key to anyone she can, and he hopes to all the Gods above he can mange to hide his sketchbook containing the rough draft of the engagement ring he’ll begin making for her once it’s complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you again to all that have read, commented, like, and shared their thoughts with me on here and Tumblr. Now it's back to Beautiful Dangerous and after that one is done, I already know what my next multiple chapter is going to be. 
> 
> FUN FACT: When I was about Lizzie's age, I was a flower girl at my aunt's first wedding. I was supposed to walk down with my sister but as soon as the doors open and everyone turned to stare at me, I got so freaked out and ran down the aisle screaming and crying straight into my mother's arms. Here are a few pictures I could find from that day. 
> 
> Before (with my Grandma): https://app.box.com/s/8ob5qnz549w14v6drqv9vjxttb9vw1gf  
Right after the wedding ended (with my dad): https://app.box.com/s/cm0d371b0ixy3iwu06670d2uvrln7a4u  
And way after, clearly not giving a fuck: https://app.box.com/s/41tohjv8t6a8ohvdwmze8t2cln4bioyc

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo, I've taken a bit of a break on Beautiful Dangerous to start this. I'm probably going to alternate working on each, although this one won't be nearly as long.


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